Sanderson Man Sentenced For Trying to Meet Minor for Sex

DEL RIO, Texas – A Sanderson man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio Tuesday to 15 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children.

According to court documents, Pedro Chalambaga Olivares, 54, attempted to elicit inappropriate photos of a seventeen year-old girl in June 2018, prompting the girl’s mother to contact the Texas Department of Public Safety (TX DPS) Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, who then began working with the Terrell County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO).  Olivares contacted what he thought was a 16 year-old girl and attempted to obtain sexually explicit photos of her and arrange a meeting to engage in unlawful sexual conduct.  Having been told she was a minor in high school, Olivares requested sexually graphic photos, drove by her residence in an attempt to see her, described his intentions with her, and suggested how the minor could escape her father’s home to meet.

On June 17, 2018, Olivares advised the minor to meet him at a football field.  Agents observed Olivares waiting in the bleachers for approximately 20 minutes before they arrested him.  Agents recovered three condoms from the front pocket of his shorts, along with a soft drink and a bag of candy the minor had requested.

Olivares was arrested for online solicitation of a minor for sexual conduct.  He pleaded guilty on Sept. 16, 2021 to one count of sexual exploitation of children.

“This defendant will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for criminal desires he fully intended to act on,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas.  “This case opened when a young girl raised concerns to her mother and those concerns were relayed to law enforcement.  I commend both of them and our partners for their part in putting this predator away and protecting our communities.”

TX DPS and the TCSO investigated the case with assistance from Office of the Texas Attorney General Criminal Investigations Division Child Exploitation Unit.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rex Beasley prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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