Indian man sentenced to 10 years for luring minor for sex

Kirtan Patel, an Indian national, was sentenced on Apr.3 to 10 years of imprisonment for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Patel, 24, had entered a guilty plea on Dec.18, 2024.

Patel, between May.22 and May.24, 2024, communicated online with someone whom he believed was a 13-year-old girl, as per the court record and guilty plea. The child, however, was an undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent, the Department of Justice said.

Patel engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the undercover agent. Ultimately, Patel was arrested when he traveled to a location in Marion County to engage in sexual activity with the child.

The Department of Justice said Patel was not lawfully present in the United States at the time of the events of this case. His 10 years of imprisonment would be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.

“This predator engaged in sexually explicit online conversations and devised a plan to meet a minor for sexual activity, actions that could have had devastating consequences,” said Homeland Security Investigation Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti.