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Press Release

Jury Convicts Fresno County Man of Enticement of a Minor

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California

FRESNO, Calif. — After a two–day trial, a federal jury found John Torres, 28, of Firebaugh, guilty today of one count of enticement of a minor, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. The trial was held before United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii.

According to evidence presented at trial, Torres was the director of the Firebaugh Boys and Girls Club. Torres was supervising a 14 year-old boy who often came to that Boys and Girls Club after school, and who was volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club to complete 120 hours of community service. Torres sent the boy messages over Facebook that offered to shortcut his community-service-hours requirement if the boy would agree to sexual acts with Torres. The boy reported the messages to law enforcement.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Firebaugh Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Tierney and Vincenza Rabenn prosecuted the case.

Torres is presently in state custody on other charges. Torres is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Ishii on May 9, 2016. He faces a statutory penalty of no less than 10 years and up to life in prison years 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.

Updated February 4, 2016

Topic
Project Safe Childhood
Press Release Number: 1:13-cr-390-AWI