Clovis Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Online Coercion of a Child

FRESNO, Calif. — Paul Joseph Espinosa, 55, of Clovis, pleaded guilty today to attempted online coercion of a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in May 2021, Espinosa noticed an undercover agent’s Instagram profile and sent her a direct message. The undercover agent told Espinosa she was 15 years old, but Espinosa continued to send her direct messages and call her using Instagram audio. Espinosa asked the 15-year-old undercover persona for sexy pictures, asked multiple times to meet up with her to cuddle, to “enjoy each others company at least for a night” and “lay there naked” and “enjoy each other.” Espinosa asked for the 15-year-old persona to send her a picture for his eyes only and sent her three sexually explicit photos of females when asking her for “naughty” pictures.

According to court documents, on June 26, 2021, Espinosa traveled from Clovis to Fresno to meet up with the intended victim because he wanted to engage in various forms of sexual activity with her. When Espinosa arrived, he was placed under arrest.

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Fresno Police Department and Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany Gunter and Christina McCall are prosecuting the case.

Espinosa is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 22. 2024, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Espinosa faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the Court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.