Osceola County Man Indicted For Attempting To Entice A Minor To Engage In Sexual Activity

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Rene Bravo (57, Kissimmee) with attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Bravo faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Bravo that the United States intends to forfeit assets which were used in commission or are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.

According to court documents, in July 2023, Bravo began communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer (UC) whom Bravo believed to be a 13-year-old girl. Throughout the next several months, Bravo began expressing a sexual interest in the “child” over an escalating series of graphic messages. In February 2024, Bravo made plans to meet with the “child” and take her back to his home for sex. On February 29, 2024, Bravo arrived at the arranged meeting spot and was arrested.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan.

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 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.justice.gov/psc.