Defendants Sentenced in Undercover Enticement Operation

AMARILLO, Texas — Seven of the nine defendants who pleaded guilty to offenses stemming from an undercover enticement operation conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies earlier this year, have been sentenced, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.  Five of the seven were sentenced this week. 

On July 7, 2015, Aaron Joe Davis, 39, was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison.  He pleaded guilty in April 2015 to one count of attempted enticement of a child.  Robert James Tidwell, 21, was sentenced to five years’ probation with the first six months to be served in home confinement.  He pleaded guilty in March 2015 to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.  Kolby Shelb Kemp, 22, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.  He also pleaded guilty in March 2015 to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

            On July 6, 2015, Brad Eugene Sharber, 45, and Daniel Lee Garcia, 38, were each sentenced to 24 months in federal prison.  Each pleaded guilty in March 2015 to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

On June 9, 2015, Jeffery Robert Abraham, 32, was sentenced to 21months in federal prison.  He pleaded guilty in March 2015 to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

On May 15, 2015, Mario Simental, 28, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison.  He pleaded guilty in March 2015 to one count of attempted enticement of a child.

The two remaining defendants, Kyle Andrew Adair, 22, and Charles Alexander Diaz, 20, have each pleaded guilty to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor and are awaiting sentencing.  Each faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

All defendants with the exception of Tidwell, who is from Pampa, Texas, are Amarillo, Texas, residents.

The cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The investigation was conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Amarillo Police Department, Randall County Sheriff’s Office, Potter County Sheriff’s Office, Randall County District Attorney’s Office, Potter County District Attorney’s Office, West Texas A&M Police Department, Canyon Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Frausto and Timothy Hammer are prosecuting.