SHERMAN, Texas - A 47-year-old former HEB principal has been sentenced for child exploitation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Oscar Figueroa, of Carrollton, Texas, was convicted by a federal jury on April 1, 2016 for attempting to coerce and enticement of minors and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Amos L Mazzant. Figueroa was also ordered to pay fines and assessments totaling $17,600. Upon his release from custody, Figueroa will serve a term of supervised release of 10 years and will be required to register as a sex offender.
According to the evidence introduced at trial, on July 7, 2015, law enforcement officers responded to a Craigslist advertisement posted by Figueroa, entitled “Dad sucking at AMC Stonebriar." The ad sought a young male with whom to engage in sexual activity at the AMC movie theatre located within the Stonebriar Centre, in Frisco, Texas. An undercover officer posing as a 16-year-old boy contacted Figueroa and began exchanging text messages. After learning that the undercover was 16-years-old, Figueroa responded “Nice" and instructed the undercover officer to meet him at a particular place within the theatre. Upon arrival, Frisco PD Officers encountered Figueroa, who directed an undercover officer to a bathroom for sexual activity. During the trial, attorneys for the United States introduced Figueroa’s text messages with the undercover agent, his interview with law enforcement, approximately 120 Craigslist ads Figueroa posted seeking sexual activity, and the contents of his cellular phone. Figueroa was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 15, 2015
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Frisco Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa Miller and Jay Combs.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
