Billings man accused of attempted coercion, enticement for sex with minor

BILLINGS—A Billings man accused of trying to arrange a meeting to have sex with a mother and her minor child and arrested during a multi-agency law enforcement operation into the solicitation of sex with minors had an initial appearance on Nov. 2 on a criminal complaint, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said today.

The criminal complaint accuses Martin Leo Jimenez, 27, of attempted coercion and enticement. If convicted of the most serious crime, Jimenez faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years to life of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. Judge Cavan ordered Jimenez detained pending further proceedings.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The criminal complaint and court documents allege that between Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 in Billings, Jimenez communicated through social media forums with an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing as the mother of an 11-year-old girl. The government alleges that Jimenez expressed a sexual interest in incest and children, asked if the undercover officer wanted to meet and sent the undercover officer a nude picture of himself. Law enforcement set up surveillance near Jimenez’s residence, and the undercover officer directed Jimenez to a vehicle parked on the street. Officers arrested Jimenez when he approached the vehicle.

Jimenez was arrested during a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement operation from Oct. 27 to 28 in the Billings area. The operation targeted subjects soliciting minors online with intent to engage in sexual activity or attempting to meet adults trafficking minors for sex. The Billings Police Department, Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and FBI conducted the operation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno B. Baucus is prosecuting the case.

PACER case reference. 21-68.

The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.

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