A Madras, Oregon man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after attempting to coerce and entice a minor for sexual purposes. Ernesto Torres, 45, who is a registered sex offender, was also given a 20-year term of supervised release.
According to court documents, Torres began communicating via Facebook Messenger with someone he believed to be a 15-year-old girl in July 2024. The individual was actually an undercover deputy from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. Over several months, Torres requested explicit images, discussed sexual acts, and attempted to arrange a meeting with the decoy. On December 1, 2024, he drove from Madras to Redmond with the intent to meet the supposed child. Chat records showed his intention to take the child to a cabin approximately 50 miles away.
On December 19, 2024, Torres was indicted by a federal grand jury in Eugene on charges including attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and attempting to use a minor to produce sexually explicit material. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents arrested him on January 10, 2025. He pleaded guilty on July 15, 2025.
The investigation involved HSI and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. Matthew Nelson, Special Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, and William M. McLaren, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon prosecuted the case.
"Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org."
Federal law considers any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving minors as child pornography. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children provides more information about these issues at www.missingkids.org.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 that coordinates efforts across federal, state, and local agencies against child exploitation and abuse. More details can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
