Luis Velez, a Mexican national without legal immigration status in the United States, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor. The sentencing took place at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn before United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen. After serving his prison term, Velez will be deported. He pleaded guilty to the charges in July 2024.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office, announced the sentence.
“The defendant preyed on children, manipulating and threatening them into creating sexually explicit images for his own sexual gratification,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office is committed to holding accountable such sexual predators and I urge parents and caregivers to discuss with their children the dangers of communicating online with strangers and anyone else who may exploit them.”
Nocella also thanked the Boston Police Department for their assistance in the case.
“Luis Velez repeatedly forced multiple minors to create and send sexually explicit images by threatening to harm their families. Velez preyed upon his victims’ fear to satisfy his perverted desires. The FBI will continue to defend our city’s children from sexual predators, especially those residing unlawfully in this country,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
According to court filings, Velez was 26 years old at the time of the offense in 2022 and did not have legal immigration status. He posed as a 14-year-old boy on Instagram and began communicating with an 11-year-old girl identified as Jane Doe 1. At his insistence, Jane Doe 1 sent him sexually explicit images electronically; he then threatened her family if she did not send more images. Velez also contacted other minors through Instagram using various identities to obtain similar material.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating resources among federal, state, and local agencies to identify offenders and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The case was handled by prosecutors from the General Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York—an office that prosecutes federal crimes and represents civil matters across Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau County, and Suffolk County (https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny). The office supports community outreach programs as well as victim assistance efforts (https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny), operating from locations in Brooklyn and Central Islip (https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny).
Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca M. Schuman and Stephen H. Petraeus led the prosecution.
Velez is listed as being 29 years old from Brooklyn under E.D.N.Y Docket No. 23-CR-235 (PKC).
