Man to spend a decade in prison for enticing what he thought was a minor on social media
EL PASO, Texas - The El Paso Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force partnered with the El Paso FBI Field Office for Operation April Fools in 2021.
According to the United States Attorney's Office of the Western District of Texas, on April 24, 2021 Armando Rafael Mascorro was communicating with someone on a social media messaging application that he thought was 14 years old.
In those conversations, according to task force investigators, Mascorro provided details on sexual acts he wanted to engage with the child. He also admitted he was attracted to younger females.
Mascorro drove to a location where he had planned to meet with the minor and was taken into custody. He had been exchanging messages with an undercover law enforcement officer.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff says Mascorro pleaded guilty on Oct. 7, 2021 to one count of attempted enticement of a minor.
"Their dedicated mission to protect the children of our community helped us stop an individual who attempted to meet a 14-year-old girl, who he met via social media, for sex," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey of the El Paso Field Office.
The task force wants to encourage parents to speak with their children about the dangers of online predators who use games, apps, and websites to lure them into dangerous acts.
"While the internet can be an important education tool for our nation's youth," says U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff, "there are bad actors who corrupt its purpose, attempting to harm and exploit children online."
Mascorro was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was ordered to serve five years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. He will also need to register as a sex offender.
