College Station man sentenced for sexual exploitation of a child after communicating via social media

HOUSTON - A 26-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison for soliciting sex from a minor.

Austin Mixon pleaded guilty Feb. 26.

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett has now sentenced Mixon to 120 months in federal prison. Mixon was further ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking fund and will serve 10 years on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Mixon will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

Mixon admitted he used Instagram to message the 13-year-old minor victim and persuaded her to meet him for sex in exchange for vape products. The two continued to communicate electronically and arranged to meet at a park near the girl's apartment because her mother did not allow her out of the house at night.

Mixon will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the Harris County Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ's PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.