Lubbock Man Sentenced to 135 Months in Federal Prison on Attempted Enticement of a Child Conviction

LUBBOCK, Texas — Mike Lozano, 29, of Lubbock, Texas, was sentenced this morning by Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 135 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in September 2016 to one count of attempted enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

According to documents filed in the case, from approximately July 1, 2016, though July 22, 2016, while living in Lubbock County, Lozano engaged in Facebook messaging with a minor female.  In these Internet communications Lozano knowingly attempted to persuade, induce, and entice the minor female to engage in sexual activity with him, even after the minor female made him aware that she was only 15-years-old.  On July 22, 2016, the minor female’s Facebook account was taken over by another person, but Lozano still believed he was communicating with the minor female.  That day, Lozano made arrangements to meet with the person he believed to be the minor female, and he was arrested upon his arrival at the agreed location.  

The case was 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 case was investigated by the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy was in charge of the prosecution.

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