California Man Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Have Sex With A 12-Year-Old Child
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
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ROCHESTER, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Gabriel Murillo, 44, of San Bernadino County, California, pleaded guilty to attempted online enticement of a minor before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charge carries a minimum prison sentence of 10 years, a maximum of life, a lifetime period of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that between April 2018 and February 2019, Murillo engaged in sexually explicit online conversations with an individual who he believed was a 12 year old girl living in upstate New York. The defendant attempted to groom the child by sending her pornography, and despite acknowledging her age, requested that she meet with him for sex. On February 16, 2019, Murillo flew from Los Angeles, CA to Rochester, NY in order to have sex with the child. Unbeknownst to the defendant, the child was actually an undercover New York State Police Investigator.
Murillo was apprehended while disembarking a plane at the Greater Rochester International Airport on February 16, 2019, by members of the New York State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Air Marshal Service.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eric Laughton; Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; and the Federal Air Marshal Service, under the direction of Supervisory Air Marshal-in-Charge William Hall.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 6, 2019, before Judge Wolford.
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