FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
ANGELA DODGE |
Feb. 21, 2012 |
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER |
(713) 567-9388 |
Corpus Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Solicitation of a Minor
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Bryan Martin, 39, of Corpus Christi, Texas, has pleaded guilty to using a facility and means of interstate and foreign commerce, specifically a telephone and a computer connected to the Internet, in an attempt to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
Indicted Jan. 11, 2012, Martin agreed in court today to the facts as described by the prosecutor regarding the commission of his offense. Between Sept. 1, 2011, and Dec. 9, 2011, Martin began communicating with a child he knew to be 12 years old over the telephone and the internet. The communications were deemed inappropriate when discovered by the child’s parent and were reported to the police.
The investigation was referred to Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and an undercover officer began communicating with Martin in the persona of the child. During the communications, Martin expressed his desire to engage in sexual acts with the child. After devising a plan to meet with the minor to engage in sexual acts, Martin was arrested at his home on Dec. 8, 2011, on state charges. Martin has since been transferred to federal custody following the filing of the federal criminal complaint Dec. 13, 2011. Martin has remained in custody since his arrest.
Senior United States District Judge John D. Rainey, who accepted the guilty plea today, has set sentencing for May 21, 2012. At that time, Martin faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.
The case was jointly investigated by the Corpus Christi Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lance Duke, 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 United States Attorneys’ 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 exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.