A 43-year-old Mexican man has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor and illegal reentry of a previously removed alien in Panama City, Florida.
Noe Zamudio Hernandez, 43, of Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court to attempted enticement of a minor and illegal reentry of a previously removed alien. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
According to court documents, Hernandez came under investigation in 2024 during an operation aimed at identifying individuals targeting children for sexual exploitation. During the operation, the defendant communicated with an individual he believed was a minor to arrange for a sexual transaction.
When Hernandez was arrested, law enforcement learned he was unlawfully present in the United States and had been previously removed to Mexico.
Hernandez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment up to life in prison.
The case involved a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 26, 2026, at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Mark E. Walker.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, human and drug trafficking.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Related Federal Cases
- Matthew Bryan Caniff, Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor, Florida 2024 · Arkansas
- Windell Holton, Attempted Enticement of a Minor, FL 2016 · Alabama
- Nicholaus Tripp, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, South Dakota 2018 · South Dakota
- Frederick M Pohl Jr, Attempted Child Enticement, Florida 2019 · Alaska
- Thomas Hill, Enticement of a Minor and Production of Child Pornography, Florida 2020 · Virginia
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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