Ocala Man Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Attempting To Entice A 13-Year-Old Child To Engage In Sexual Activity

Ocala, FL – Senior United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Francisco Alvarez-Tello (28, Ocala) to 12 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. Alvarez-Tello pleaded guilty on October 24, 2024.

According to court documents, in July 2024, Alvarez-Tello responded to an ad on an online dating app from an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing as a 13-year-old child. Alvarez-Tello engaged in sexually oriented conversation, telling the undercover officer in detail what he planned to do with the child. When Alvarez-Tello arrived at a pre-determined location to engage in sex with the child, law enforcement arrested him and found a firearm inside his vehicle. During an interview with officers, Alvarez-Tello admitted to sending the messages and told officers that he was trying to have a “freaky Friday” and they had “ruined that.”

“HSI and our law enforcement partners are continually monitoring and combating the dangerous misuse of social media that puts our children at risk,” said Homeland Security Investigations Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti. “HSI, in collaboration with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, remains steadfast in our mission to safeguard children from predators who exploit them for their perverse desires.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.

This 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 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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.