Rockville Man Guilty of Grooming 12-Year-Old Girl Over Internet

A 26-year-old Rockville, Maryland man has pleaded guilty to exploiting a 12-year-old Virginia girl by using the Internet to coerce and entice her to engage in illegal sexual activity. Jose Adalberto Sandoval Quinonez, 26, initiated contact with the 12-year-old victim over Instagram and the two later began chatting over Google Hangouts.

Over the course of several months in 2017, Sandoval used Google Hangouts to groom, persuade, and entice the minor to engage in sex acts, including sexual intercourse. In addition, he repeatedly asked her to produce and send him sexually explicit photos of herself, and he succeeded in persuading her to send him such a photo. Sandoval also sent the victim an image of his penis. During these interactions, Sandoval, who was 25 years old at the time, pretended to be 16 years old.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement, ‘The safety and well-being of our children is a top priority. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities from predators like Sandoval Quinonez.’

Sandoval Quinonez pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on August 10.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Doherty Russell and Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case. HSI investigated the case with the assistance of the City of Manassas Park Police Department.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Sandoval Quinonez is scheduled to be sentenced on August 10. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

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