Lubbock Man Gets 135 Months for Child Enticement

Lubbock, Texas — Mike Lozano, 29, is headed to federal prison for 135 months after pleading guilty to attempted enticement of a minor, a conviction that slammed shut a predatory online campaign targeting a 15-year-old girl. Sentenced this morning by Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings, Lozano’s fate underscores the brutal reality of digital-age grooming and the federal dragnet that follows.

From July 1 to July 22, 2016, Lozano, residing in Lubbock County, used Facebook to message a minor female, relentlessly pushing to meet for sexual activity. Documents show he continued the advances even after the girl explicitly told him she was only 15. His messages grew more insistent, weaving manipulation into the digital trail that would later seal his guilt.

The trap closed on July 22, 2016, when the girl’s Facebook account was taken over by another individual—someone Lozano believed was still the teenager. Unaware the bait had shifted, he confirmed plans to meet, arriving at the arranged location with intent. Law enforcement was waiting. He was arrested on the spot, his freedom ending where his fantasies began.

The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, the DOJ’s nationwide offensive launched in May 2006 to dismantle networks of child sexual exploitation. Spearheaded by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the initiative merges federal, state, and local power to hunt predators and rescue victims before more harm is done.

Investigation was a joint effort between the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, a collaboration that turned digital breadcrumbs into a conviction. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy handled the prosecution, driving the case from evidence to sentencing without hesitation.

For more on Project Safe Childhood and internet safety resources, visit www.justice.gov/psc/. Lozano’s 135-month sentence stands as a warning: the web remembers, and the feds are watching.