Texas Man Charged with Attempted Sexual Enticement of a Minor

A 51-year-old Texas man has been charged with attempting to entice a minor into a sexual encounter, according to the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.

Michael Doherty, 51, of Texas, was indicted on charges of attempted sexual enticement of a minor, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in federal prison.

According to court documents, Doherty posted an online advertisement in 2015 seeking incestuous sexual encounters. An undercover FBI agent posed as a father who was abusing his 10-year-old daughter and responded to the ad.

Over the course of several days, Doherty and the undercover agent discussed the abuse of the girl, with Doherty expressing interest in watching the agent have sex with the child and requesting naked photos of her.

Doherty later told the agent that he would travel to Florida to watch the encounter, and he sent the agent explicit photos of himself. He even purchased a gift for the girl before traveling to Lake Mary, where he was arrested on April 8, 2015.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Schuster.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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