Serial Child Molester Sentenced to Over 27 Years

GREENVILLE, MS – A Moundville, Alabama man was sentenced today to 328 months in prison for enticement of a minor.

According to court documents, Angel Chavez-Heras, 35, solicited sexually explicit pictures and videos through various online applications from a minor victim, aged 14, located in the Northern District of Mississippi.  On at least two occasions, Chavez-Heras traveled over 2 hours to sexually assault the minor. When agents searched Chavez-Heras’s electronic devices, they discovered he had engaged in this behavior with a number of other minor victims. Charges in other jurisdictions will be pursued separately.

In announcing his sentence, Chief Judge Debra Brown imposed over 27 years in prison and supervised release for five years. Chavez-Heras will be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison as well as pay restitution to the minor victim.

“This sentence is a message to anyone who would think about traveling to the Northern District of Mississippi to prey on children – you will go to prison for a very long time,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner.  “The case began with a concerned parent making a report to the Pontotoc P.D. about and unknown person contacting a child on social media, and Deputy Chief Nathan Gregory led an investigation that began with just a social media handle and a vehicle description that he tracked to the out of state defendant and then asked for assistance from HSI…this outstanding result represents what is possible with effective state and local collaboration.”

"HSI, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us—our children. The sentencing of this serial child molester for enticing a minor is a testament to the tireless efforts of law enforcement and the justice system to hold perpetrators accountable,” said ICE HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune. “This case underscores the importance of vigilance, collaboration, and unwavering dedication to ensuring the safety and security of every child in our nation."

Pontotoc Police Chief Bob Poe stated, “This department will do everything in our power to protect our kids from those who would abuse or exploit them, and I am proud that we were able to take a case without much to go on at first, and with the help of the Moundville P.D. and the Department of Homeland Security make sure that a serial child predator is behind bars where he belongs.”

The Department of Homeland Security and the Pontotoc Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.