Galveston Federal Judge Convicts Texas Man of Coercion, Enticement of

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A Texas man has been convicted of sending lewd texts and photos to a 13-year-old, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. George Jimenez, 45, from Brazoria received a guilty verdict for coercion and enticement of a minor by a federal judge in Galveston after a one-day trial that started on April 3.

Judge Jeffrey Brown handed down the verdict late on April 23. The investigation revealed that Jimenez used the TextNow application posing as a teenage boy to send explicit content. He had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of transfer of obscene material to a minor. Authorities found that he sent genitalia pictures to the minor and classmates who were 12 and 13 years old. In total, Jimenez messaged five minor contacts with his explicit images.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence of 17 instances where Jimenez explicitly requested photos of the young girl's breasts, buttocks, and genital area. A particularly damning text exchange included Jimenez asking to see images after the minor mentioned shaving her pubic region. Despite the defense's claim that the messages didn't constitute coercion or enticement, Judge Brown stated in his ruling, “these requests were direct, specific and unambiguous. They were not shrouded in innuendo or bashfulness. Simply put, there is no question that Jimenez repeatedly asked [the minor] to take and send him pictures of her genitals and pubic area.”, according to an official statement.

Set for sentencing on June 12, Jimenez could face a sentence of 10 years to life in prison. He may also be hit a with fine up to $250,000. Currently, he remains in custody until the sentencing date. The FBI conducted the investigation leading to Jimenez's conviction as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative aiming to combat child exploitation and abuse. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen M. Lansden and Sherin S. Daniel are the prosecutors handling the case. For more information on the initiative and internet safety education, the Department of Justice encourages visits to their Project Safe Childhood page.