Putnam County Man Receives 20-Year Sentence For Coercion And Enticement Of Multiple Minors To Engage In Illegal Sexual Activity

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MARCELO MARIN VARGAS was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel to 20 years in prison following VARGAS’s guilty plea in September 2022 to three counts of coercion and enticement of minors to engage in illegal sexual activity.  

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “This sentence sends a clear message to those who would coerce and entice minors to engage in illegal sexual conduct over the internet: Hiding behind a screen will not save you.  We will find you and we will put an end to your victimization of children.  Crimes like these cause real pain and create real victims.”

According to the Information to which VARGAS pled guilty:

VARGAS used a computer and the internet to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce three minor girls to send images and videos of themselves engaging in sexual activity to VARGAS over the internet.

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In addition to the prison term, VARGAS, 45, of Putnam County, New York, was ordered to pay restitution for one of VARGAS’s victims in the amount of $3,000.

Mr. Williams praised Homeland Security Investigations for their outstanding investigative work. 

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Gianforti is in charge of the prosecution.