Substitute teacher admits to exploiting minor he met online

McALLEN, Texas – A 42-year-old Mission resident has pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Juan Carlos Munoz met a 14-year-old girl from South Carolina on a social media/video chat site. He utilized a fake name and claimed to be a 19-year-old teenager and requested nude photos and videos of the girl.

Local law enforcement in South Carolina were able to determine his true identity and report the allegations to Texas authorities.

On Dec. 16, 2022, they located him at a local high school where he was employed as a substitute teacher. At that time, Munoz admitted to communicating with the minor victim and requesting sexually-explicit photos.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa will impose sentencing July 19. At that time, Munoz faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

Munoz has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.

Homeland Security Investigations-Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Task Force conducted the investigation with the assistance of York County Sheriff Office in South Carolina.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.