Las Cruces man indicted in federal court on child coercion charge

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A federal court in El Paso indicted 27-year-old Las Cruces resident Bradley Fariss Pieper this week. Officials accuse Pieper of coercing a minor.

Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Pieper last month after he arranged a meet up with a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl, with the intention of having sex with her, according to a Department of Justice spokesperson. Investigators say Pieper set up the meeting through social media and explained his sexual intentions to the supposed 15-year-old.

At a September 20 detention hearing, a judge ordered that Pieper be held without bond until his trial.

If convicted, Pieper will spend at least 10 years in prison.