Leigha Simonton, United States Attorney, Northern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas
A Florida man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for traveling to Texas with the intent of engaging in sexual acts with a minor. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad E. Meacham, announced the sentencing on March 11, 2025.
Carlos Robles, aged 31, was indicted in May 2020 and pleaded guilty in August 2022 to the charge of Interstate Travel with Intent to Engage in a Sexual Act with a Minor. U.S. District Judge Karen G. Scholer imposed the statutory maximum sentence of 360 months in federal prison and ordered Robles to undergo 24 years of supervision following his release, along with registration as a sex offender.
Court documents reveal that on January 31, 2020, Robles traveled from Florida to Texas via commercial airline intending to engage in sexual conduct with a victim under the age of 18. The court emphasized society's need for protection from further crimes by Robles when determining his sentence. Notably, it was mentioned that Robles exchanged over 5,000 messages with the victim over four months and made four trips from Florida to meet them, including one visit at a roller-skating rink.
Acting U.S. Attorney Meacham stated: “The sentence today is a message to anyone who even thinks about traveling to the Northern District of Texas to prey on children – you will go to prison for a very long time.”
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Garland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jongwoo Chung and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local resources.
