Reno Predator: Concha Gets 10 Years for Child Exploitation

RENO, NV – Carlos Heringer Concha, 45, of Reno, will spend the next decade behind bars after being sentenced Monday for the coercion and enticement of a child. The mandatory minimum sentence was handed down by U.S. District Chief Judge Miranda M. Du, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. This case exposes the dark underbelly of online predation and the dangers facing vulnerable children.

Court documents detail a disturbing pattern of behavior. Between December 20, 2022, and March 2, 2023, Concha engaged in explicit online communication with a 14-year-old victim through the Discord platform. The chats, now evidence, reveal Concha initiated sexually suggestive conversations, aggressively requested compromising photos from the minor, and reciprocated with images and videos of himself. The digital grooming escalated to a planned in-person meeting.

On March 2, 2023, Concha drove from Reno to Truckee, California, with the intent to meet and sexually assault the victim. Fortunately, law enforcement intervened before any physical contact occurred, arresting Concha and halting his predatory plan. A federal grand jury indicted Concha in March 2023, and he ultimately pleaded guilty in February 2024 to one count of coercion and enticement. But the crimes didn’t stop there.

While on pretrial release for the federal charges, Concha brazenly continued his predatory behavior. On April 22, 2024, in the Second Judicial District Court, he was convicted on two counts of Luring/Attempting to Lure a Child with the Use of Computer Technology to Engage in Sexual Conduct. He received a consecutive sentence of 48 to 120 months imprisonment on each count, effectively extending his time behind bars. Judge Du ordered 84 months of the federal sentence to run consecutively to the state sentence, ensuring a substantial period of incarceration.

Beyond the prison time, Concha will be subject to the stringent requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release and maintain that registration for the rest of his life, alerting the public to his dangerous history. This case was a collaborative effort between the FBI, the Regional HEAT team, and the Truckee Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Rachow leading the prosecution.

U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson and FBI Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans announced the sentencing as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. The project focuses on leveraging federal, state, and local resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals like Concha, and to rescue the victims they target. Anyone with information about child exploitation is urged to visit Justice.gov/PSC to learn more and report suspected abuse.