Assistant U. S. Attorneys Amanda Griffith (619) 546-8970 and Jennifer McCollough (619) 546-8773
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 4, 2022
SAN DIEGO – A California man was sentenced today to 162 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for attempting to meet an undercover agent he believed to be a minor to have sexual relations with her.
Eduardo Alcala, 43, was arrested on August 2, 2021 and pleaded guilty to the charges on November 4, 2021. According to information presented at the sentencing proceeding, Alcala sent a Facebook friend request to an undercover federal agent who told him that she was 13 years old. Alcala and the undercover agent continued communicating through text messages. Over the course of the text exchanges and several phone calls, Alcala appeared to groom her as the conversation escalated from talking about going to the beach, to “hooking it up,” to “working [her] out,” and eventually to having sex and masturbating over the phone before they planned to meet in person. Alcala made plans to meet at a park to engage in sexual conduct with the girl he believed to be 13 years old. During this time, Alcala was a convicted and registered sex offender already on parole for one of multiple convictions involving children under the age of 18. Notably, Alcala told the undercover agent that he was on parole and informed his parole officer he was going to meet his sick mother before going to the park, where he was arrested.
“This defendant was willing to victimize someone he believed to be a 13-year-old child. Fortunately, he instead connected with an undercover agent,” said U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman. “This successful prosecution demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting children. But the home is often our first line of defense. We urge all parents to be vigilant and aware of their children’s online activity.” Grossman commended the team of prosecutors and agents who worked diligently on this matter.
“This previously convicted sex offender communicated with someone he thought was a child for his own gratification, without regard to the physical, psychological and emotional damage he would have caused,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego. “Thank you to those men and women who work tirelessly to make our community and virtual playgrounds a safe place for all children.”
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Agents in Calexico, California, conducted the investigation. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 21cr2643-TWR
Eduardo Alcala Age: 43
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Attempted Enticement of a Minor – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2242(b)
Maximum penalty: life in prison; $250,000 fine
AGENCY
Homeland Security Investigations