Port St. Lucie man sentenced to 20 years for sexual exploitation of a 17-year-old

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Port St. Lucie man was ordered to spend two decades in federal prison for having sexual interactions with a 17-year-old.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) saidLuis Escoto had sex with a 17-year-old— when he was about 26 or 27 years old— in St. Lucie and Martin counties.

Between November 2022 and January 2023, Escoto recorded the sexual interactions with the victim using his cellphone and convinced the minor to send him sexually explicit pictures through text messages and communication platforms, according to court records.

Escoto was caught by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in February 2023 at a location thinking he was meeting with the minor for sex. In reality, he had been texting an undercover detective who had been posing as the minor.

See also: Son accused of stabbing mother to death in Hillsborough County

The DOJ said Escoto pleaded guilty in May for the production of visual depictions of sexual exploitation of a minor. He received his sentence on Monday.

In addition to his 20-year prison sentence, the judge saidEscoto will face an additional15 years of supervised release.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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