Naples Man Sentenced To 30 Years For Coercion And Enticement Of A Minor To Engage In Sexual Activity

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Juan Sebastian Perez (24, Naples) to 30 years in federal prison for enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and possession of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Perez was also sentenced to a life term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. Perez entered a guilty plea on December 18, 2024.

According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 26, 2024, Perez was involved with child exploitation, to include the enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and the distribution and possession of CSAM. Perez sought out and chatted with at least one minor over the internet through a social media application. 

In June 2024, the FBI received a report concerning a 14-year-old child being persuaded by Perez to produce sexually explicit pictures to send to him. At Perez’s urging and direction, the minor sent sexually explicit pictures and videos to Perez.

When the FBI executed a search warrant at Perez’s home, Perez agreed to speak with agents and admitted to using several social media applications. Perez told agents that he had come across CSAM online and admitted to soliciting nude images from users with whom he had communicated with. A subsequent forensic examination of Perez’s electronic devices revealed images and videos of CSAM. 

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the Lake Oswego Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.

This is another case 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.