A 41-year-old Laredo man, Robert Steven Lanier, was sentenced on July 28 to 151 months in federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo issued the sentence after Lanier pleaded guilty on March 6.
The court noted that Lanier had expressed a proclivity for children and commented on how he left his home twice—while caring for his own minor children—to go engage in sexual acts with a 12-year-old child. Following his prison term, Lanier will be subject to 15 years of supervised release with requirements restricting his access to children and the internet. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Authorities identified Lanier in 2025 during investigations into a Kik chatroom, an app often exploited by predators seeking access to minors. According to the investigation, Lanier communicated with someone he believed was the father of a 12-year-old girl and expressed interest in engaging in sexual activities with her. He also mentioned preferring children under age 16, referred to child pornography as “window shopping,” and described wanting to be the child’s “sugar daddy.” On March 18, law enforcement took him into custody at a gas station where he intended to meet the minor.
Lanier remains in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility. The FBI conducted the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas is part of the Department of Justice, serves under the Attorney General, employs more than 200 attorneys covering over nine million people across Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville offices; it focuses on prosecuting federal crimes and handling civil cases for the government, according to its official website. Notable former leaders include Alamdar Hamdani and Ryan Patrick, according to its official history page.