U.S. Department
of Justice
Carrollton Man Indicted on Child Exploitation Charges
PLANO, Texas — A 47-year-old Carrollton, Texas man has been indicted on child exploitation charges in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Oscar Figueroa was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 15, 2015 and charged with coercion and enticement of minors.
According to the indictment and evidence introduced at a detention hearing today, on July 7, 2015, law enforcement officers became aware of a Craigslist advertisement posted by a person identified as Figueroa seeking young males for sexual activity. An undercover officer posing as a 16-year-old male responded to the ad and began communicating with Figueroa. Figueroa directed the undercover officer to the AMC theatre at the Stonebriar Centre in Frisco. The undercover officer met Figueroa at the theatre and engaged in additional conversation before Figueroa directed the undercover officer to a bathroom, where Figueroa was detained.
Figueroa was arrested on July 10, 2015 and remains in custody. If convicted, Figueroa faces a minimum of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Frisco Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Miller.
It is important to note that an indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.