Convicted sex offender sentenced to more than 13 years for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual relations following ICE HSI investigation
SAN DIEGO – A California man was sentenced Monday to 162 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for attempting to meet an undercover agent he believed to be a minor to have sexual relations with her. This is a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Calexico investigation.
Eduardo Alcala, 43, was arrested on Aug. 2, 2021 and pleaded guilty to the charges on Nov. 4, 2021. According to information presented at the sentencing proceeding, Alcala sent a Facebook friend request to an undercover federal agent who told him that she was 13 years old.
“This previously convicted sex offender communicated with someone he thought was a child for his own gratification, without regard to the physical, psychological and emotional damage he would have caused,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego. “Thank you to those men and women who work tirelessly to make our community and virtual playgrounds a safe place for all children.”
Alcala and the undercover HSI agent continued communicating through text messages. Over the course of the text exchanges and several phone calls, Alcala appeared to groom her as the conversation escalated from talking about going to the beach, to “hooking it up,” to “working [her] out,” and eventually to having sex and masturbating over the phone before they planned to meet in person. Alcala made plans to meet at a park to engage in sexual conduct with the girl he believed to be 13 years old. During this time, Alcala was a convicted and registered sex offender already on parole for one of multiple convictions involving children under the age of 18. Notably, Alcala told the undercover agent that he was on parole and informed his parole officer he was going to meet his sick mother before going to the park, where he was arrested.
“This defendant was willing to victimize someone he believed to be a 13-year-old child. Fortunately, he instead connected with an undercover agent,” said U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman. “This successful prosecution demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting children. But the home is often our first line of defense. We urge all parents to be vigilant and aware of their children’s online activity.” Grossman commended the team of prosecutors and agents who worked diligently on this matter.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.justice.gov/psc.
One of HSI’s top priorities is to protect the public from crimes of victimization, and HSI’s child exploitation investigations program is a central component of this mission set. Further, HSI is recognized as a global leader in this investigative discipline, and is committed to utilizing its vast authorities, international footprint and strong government and non-government partnerships to identify and rescue child victims, identify, and apprehend offenders, prevent transnational child sexual abuse, and help make the internet a safer place for children.
HIS is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HIS’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
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