Indian pleads guilty in Florida court for ‘trying to engage minor in sexual activity’
According to the indictment of the 33 men caught in a sting operation, nine, including Patel, had "actually travelled to have sex with minors"
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The court also ordered that the victim's family should be handed Rs 6 lakh as compensationA 24-year-old Indian national from Gujarat, Kirtan Patel, pleaded guilty to “attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity”, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida, on Thursday.
Patel, who was arrested in July this year, faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date is yet to be decided.
He was among 33 men of various nationalities arrested after a sting operation by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), along with assistance from the Ocala Police Department, Chiefland Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security.
Indian national from Gujarat, Kirtan Patel was among the 33 men of various nationalities arrested after a sting operation by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO)
Patel allegedly approached an undercover officer, posing as a minor online, “seeking to engage in sexual activity”. According to officials of the Marion County Sheriff’s office, in online interactions, Patel allegedly engaged in “sexually explicit conversations and graphically described the sexual acts”.
According to the indictment, between May 22 and 24, Patel knowingly attempted to persuade and coerce an individual he believed had not yet attained 18 years of age to engage in sexual activity. This case was investigated by HSI Orlando and the MCSO. Patel was arrested on July 18 when he traveled to a location in Marion County to engage in sexual activity with the child. According to the indictment of the 33 men caught in the sting, nine, including Patel, had “actually travelled to have sex with minors”.
The MCSO release said, “Many of these (arrested) men arranged to meet with what they thought was a child between the ages of 13-15 years old. Some of them even travelled from outside of Florida to arrange meeting places. Deputies and detectives seized guns, drugs, cash, and vehicles from these offenders, and more arrests are expected as detectives follow up with various cases.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
“This case was brought 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims,” the release from the US Attorney’s Office from Middle District, Florida, said.
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