Man Heads to Prison After Communicating Desire to Have Sex with Teenager

LAREDO, Texas – A 47-year old Zapata resident has been ordered to federal prison for enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Matthew David Pascoe pleaded guilty April 3, 2019.

Today, U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña sentenced Pascoe to 120 months. He was also to serve five yearson supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

In November 2018, Pascoe communicated through an online messaging application with whom he believed was a 15-year-old girl. During these exchanges, Pascoe communicated his desire to engage in sexual intercourse and other sexual acts with the purported minor.

Pascoe arranged a date and time to meet with her with the intent to engage in sexual intercourse. He was taken into custody as he arrived at that location in Laredo Nov. 10, 2018.

Pascoe will remain in the custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Zapata County Sheriff’s Department and Laredo Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) April Ayers-Perez and former AUSA Giselle Guerra prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."