Mexican National Without Legal Immigration Status Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Sex Offense Against a Minor

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Luis Velez was sentenced by United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen to 12 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor. Velez has no legal status in the United States and will be deported after serving his term of imprisonment. Velez pleaded guilty in July 2024.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.

"The defendant preyed on children, manipulating and threatening them into creating sexually explicit images for his own sexual gratification," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "Our Office is committed to holding accountable such sexual predators and I urge parents and caregivers to discuss with their children the dangers of communicating online with strangers and anyone else who may exploit them."

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Boston Police Department for their work on the case.

"Luis Velez repeatedly forced multiple minors to create and send sexually explicit images by threatening to harm their families. Velez preyed upon his victims' fear to satisfy his perverted desires. The FBI will continue to defend our city's children from sexual predators, especially those residing unlawfully in this country," stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

As set forth in court filings, in 2022, Velez-a 26-year-old man at the time of the charged conduct without legal immigration status in the United States-posed as a 14-year-old boy and began communicating with an 11-year-old girl (Jane Doe 1) through Instagram. At Velez's insistence, Jane Doe 1 electronically sent sexually explicit images of herself to Velez, and then Velez threatened to hurt Jane Doe 1's family if she did not send additional sexually explicit images. Velez communicated with various other minors on Instagram, at times posing as a girl and at other times as a boy in order to obtain-as he had done with Jane Doe 1-sexually explicit images from these minors.

This prosecution is 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 United States Attorneys' Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The government's case is being handled by the Office's General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca M. Schuman and Stephen H. Petraeus are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

LUIS VELEZ
Age: 29
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-235 (PKC)