Bradenton Man Sentenced To 15 Years For Attempting To Meet A Minor For Sex

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich has sentenced Erasmo Aguinaga (36, Bradenton) to 15 years in federal prison for attempted child enticement. A federal jury found him guilty on September 19, 2014.

According to evidence presented during the trial, on March 23, 2014, Aguinaga communicated online with an individual he believed was a 14-year-old girl, but who was actually an undercover agent. The agent was conducting an undercover investigation to identify and apprehend individuals who were attempting to sexually exploit children over the Internet. After having chatted online with the “child” for less than an hour, Aguinaga inquired about the “child’s” sexual history and used graphic and explicit language to ask if the “child” would engage in sexual acts with him. Later that same day, Aguinaga asked for the “child’s” address and drove to her purported home, where he was immediately arrested.  

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda C. Kaiser.

It is another case 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 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 locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.