Ernesto Herrera, Coercion and Enticement of a Minor, Massachusetts 2022

Chicago Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Coercing Minor

BOSTON – A Chicago man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for threatening and coercing a Massachusetts minor to engage in sexual conduct.

Ernesto Herrera, 33, of Chicago, Ill., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 12 years in prison and five years of supervised release. In August 2022, Herrera pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.

“Mr. Herrera preyed on the vulnerability of a young, innocent child to manipulate and exploit her for his own sexual gratification. He threatened and blackmailed the victim into sending and giving him access to abusive sexual imagery of herself. Like many others, Mr. Herrera was wrong to think he could hide behind the anonymity of the internet. This case is another example that online predators will be identified and held accountable,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins.

“Ernesto Herrera is a sexual predator who went to great lengths to conceal his identity when he manipulated a 16-year-old girl into providing him with sexually explicit images of herself. No sentence can undo the devastating harm he inflicted on his victim, but this courageous teen stood up, came forward, and ensured this man will no longer be in a position to harm others for quite some time,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division.

In June 2020, Herrera reached out to the minor victim from an anonymous phone number using a messaging application. Herrera demanded that the victim send images and videos of herself engaged in sexual conduct, among other things. Herrera threatened the victim that if she did not comply with his requests, videos of the victim would be leaked to her friends and the internet. Herrera also accessed the victim’s Snapchat account and, from June 2020 through January 2021, sent over one thousand images and videos of the victim to his Snapchat account. Several of these files depicted child sexual abuse material.

Defendant: Ernesto Herrera

Criminal Charges: Coercion and enticement of a minor

City and State: Boston, Massachusetts

Exact Date: August 2022

Sentence: 12 years in prison and five years of supervised release

Category: Sex Crimes

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/chicago-man-sentenced-12-years-prison-coercion-and-enticement-minor