‘You really are a kid!’ Age regression photo helps undercover officer bust Texas man
DALLAS - A Texas man is facing federal prison time for trying to meet who he thought was a 13-year-old girl for sex at a neighborhood park.
According to U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton, 38-year-old Jose Espinoza Jr. of Snyder, Texas was recently convicted of attempted enticement of a minor.
During the trial, an undercover Snyder police officer testified that she created a fake social media account to pose as a 13-year-old girl named "Maddi."
She said Espinoza contacted her regarding sexual activity and requested photos.
The officer sent Espinoza a photo of herself that had been altered with age-regression software.
Age-regressed photos of an undercover officer sent to the defendant and later admitted into evidence. (U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas )
"I am almost 14," she told him.
Jurors saw evidence of the lewd and lascivious messages Espinoza sent to "Maddi," including messages where he promised to bring her Skittles, whiskey, and a towel because she "would likely bleed following intercourse."
"You really are a kid, aren’t you," he wrote. "I’m a horny old guy… guys get locked up for talking to girls like you."
And that’s exactly what happened when Espinoza arrived at a local park to meet "Maddi."
After traveling more than an hour to meet the girl, he instead met police officers.
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It was inside a Lewisville Motel 6 where investigators say the former Highland Village fire chief planned to purchase sexual favors from someone he thought was an escort. Instead, deputies were waiting inside a room.
Police said they found Skittles, whiskey, condoms, a towel, and a handgun in Espinoza's car after they arrested him.
"It’s just another example of law enforcement taking advantage of the advances in technology to better use these sting operations," said Toby Shook, an attorney not affiliated with the case. "Before they would use either photos that they just had in stock, something like that."
The U.S. Attorney’s office said it took jurors only 30 minutes to find him guilty.
Shook says it is critical for undercover officers to not entrap the suspect.
An officer can pose as a child, but they have to let the suspect engage in the illegal activity, as was done in this case.
"They can’t be the person who’s reaching out and trying to convince them to commit this crime or actually put it in their mind, so to speak, when we’re talking about entrapment," said Shook. "The officers are pretty well-trained in how to correspond with the suspect."
Espinoza will be sentenced at a later date. He faces a minimum of 10 years or up to life in federal prison.