A man illegally residing in the United States was sentenced in federal court Monday for attempting to persuade an 11-year-old online to engage in sexual activity. Two years earlier, the defendant also molested the child while she stayed at a friend’s house.
U.S. District Judge Claire V. Eagan sentenced Agustin Nieto Regalado, 47, of Tulsa, to 292 months in federal prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and for possession of a false lawful permanent resident card. Following his prison sentence, Nieto will be removed from the United States.
“Augustin Nieto Regalado sexually abused multiple children while in the United States on a fake green card. The United States asked the court for a sentence of life imprisonment because we believed a life sentence was the only way to ensure Regalado could never hurt another child. We take solace, however, knowing he is headed to prison for a long time and that a jury held him accountable for his despicable acts,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “During this trial, an eleven-year-old sexual abuse victim took the witness stand and courageously faced her abuser, Regalado. It was a powerful moment to see and a reminder that the American justice system gives a voice to victims of crime. I am humbled by the efforts of law enforcement, victim advocates, and prosecutors who worked tirelessly on this case.”
“Investigating, prosecuting and eradicating perpetrators of these horrendous crimes from our communities is one of our highest priorities,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of HSI Dallas. “HSI special agents are resilient and committed to relentlessly defending the most vulnerable among us from child predators.”
In April 2019, the victim’s mother grew suspicious of a Facebook message her daughter received from a man she knew as “Marcos Diaz.” The mother conversed with Diaz, pretending to be her daughter. Diaz acknowledged the child’s age and described sexual acts he wanted to engage in with the victim. He further offered to pay for the sex acts, asked for explicit pictures and described how he had previously molested the child. Marcos Diaz, who was really Agustin Nieto Regalado, also took sexually explicit photos of himself and sent them to the girl. The mother reported the encounter to authorities.
During the trial, Lieutenant Jeremy Noland of the Tulsa Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Unit explained that detectives took over the girl’s Facebook account once the mother reported Regalado.
He described how the defendant continued to message the girl, not knowing that he was actually messaging detectives. A meeting location was set by the parties. When Regalado arrived at the location, he was taken into custody by detectives. The defendant was found in possession of a forged permanent resident card with the alias of Marcos Diaz and immigration documents with the name Agustin Nieto Regalado.
During the trial, testimony was heard that Regalado was also caught several times engaging in suspicious activity with other children.
The Tulsa Police Department’s Cyber Crimes and Child Crisis Units and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Nassar and Edward Snow prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, 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.
Comments