Honduran Man Charged with Transporting Local Minor for Sex

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Elvin Castron-Murcia, 19, a Honduran native residing between Louisiana and Tennessee, was arraigned today in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with traveling for illicit sexual conduct, transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity, and false claim of U.S. citizenship.  The indictment was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The indictment alleges that, in May 2018, Castron-Murcia traveled for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct and also transported a minor under age 18 for sexual activity.  The indictment further alleges that, on May 25, 2018, Castron-Murcia falsely represented himself to be a U.S. citizen.

The defendant was detained pending trial.  The trial date is scheduled for August 7, 2018, at 8:00 a.m. at the U.S. Courthouse in Pensacola.

If convicted, Castron-Murcia faces a maximum of 30 years in prison for the sex traveling charge, a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison for the sex transportation charge, and a maximum of 3 years in prison for the false claim of U.S. citizenship.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Goldberg.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.