Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
McALLEN, Texas – A 21-year-old man residing in San Juan has been sentenced for coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jorge Eduardo Naranjo pleaded guilty July 8, 2023, admitting he utilized a social media application and made arrangements to engage in a sexual encounter with a nine-year-old child.
U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane ordered Naranjo to serve 300 months in federal prison. The sentence was enhanced after the court determined Naranjo was a repeat and dangerous offender against minors, the offense involved a minor under the age of 12 and it was a commercial sex act. During the hearing, the court also heard argument that Naranjo crafted a life where he had access to children through employment at a children’s store and even expressed a desire to have his own female child so he could sexually assault her. The court also heard additional information that Naranjo was in possession of hundreds of child pornography files and further distributed those files. In handing down the prison term, Judge Crane noted that despite Naranjo’s age, his behavior was alarming and expressed the need to protect children in our community from this danger. Naranjo will also serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
Naranjo, who operated several accounts with the username “Bored Dude” on a social media site, began communicating with an individual he believed had a nine-year-old child. Naranjo exchanged multiple messages clarifying his intent to engage in criminal sexual activity with the individual’s child who he referred to as “little.” Additionally, he sent files containing child pornography to the individual, messages inquiring how to keep children from reporting sexual abuse and if it was possible the child would become pregnant.
Naranjo traveled to an Edinburg hotel and intended to engage in the criminal sexual activity. Law enforcement took him into custody immediately upon his arrival at the hotel.
The FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
