PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Elvin Castron-Murcia, 20, a Honduran native residing in Louisiana, was sentenced in federal court today to ten years in prison for traveling for illicit sexual conduct and transporting a minor for criminal sexual activity involving a Northwest Florida girl. The sentence was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
"The illegal actions of this defendant will have a lasting and harmful impact on his adolescent victim, and it is important that he be imprisoned so he cannot take advantage of other young girls," Keefe said. "We thank the various federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who helped find the victim, return her safely to her family, and ensure that the defendant is brought to justice."
This investigation began in May 2018, when a 12-year-old female, identified only as "ENN," disappeared after her mother caught her communicating on Facebook with a male under the name "Elvin C. Murcia." Several neighbors had observed a black Honda Civic with Tennessee license tags parked near ENN’s residence in Navarre, Florida. A search of ENN’s cell phone and Instagram social media account revealed images of the girl in a vehicle with a male who appeared to be the same person on Murcia’s Facebook account.
The next day, ENN’s mother was able to communicate with her daughter via Facebook Messenger, and law enforcement officers determined that the cell phone used for the conversation was located in Tennessee heading toward Alabama. A state trooper soon observed the black Honda Civic with Tennessee tags and stopped the vehicle in Alabama. ENN was identified as the vehicle’s passenger and Murcia, who was using a license issued in a false name, was later identified as the driver. Images and videos forensically located on Murcia’s phone confirmed that Murcia and ENN were in a relationship that began when ENN was 11 years old. Law enforcement officers were also able to obtain video from a Tennessee Walgreens store showing Murcia purchasing birth control with ENN. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Murcia was illegally present in the United States.
Murcia will be removed from the United States after serving his sentence in federal prison.
"The victimization of innocent children will not be tolerated in this country, and this case reinforces that message," said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. "The FBI and our law enforcement partners will stop at nothing to identify child predators and ensure the safety of young people who are among the most vulnerable members of our community."
"Castron-Murcia acted with an intense focus to befriend this child and gain her trust only to victimize her," said FDLE Pensacola Special Agent in Charge Jack Massey. "FDLE will continue to work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to investigate those who seek to hurt our children."
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg prosecuted the case.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
