United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana
10/26/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/26/2026 13:31
Honduran Illegal Alien Indicted for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of A Minor and Illegal Reentry of A Removed Alien
NEW ORLEANS - LESLI JOEL CALIX-SARMIENTO ("CALIX-SARMIENTO"), age 36, a Honduran national, was charged in a two-count indictment on October 23, 2026, with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b), and illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to Count 1 of the indictment, between August 27, 2026, and August 28, 2026, CALIX-SARMIENTO persuaded and enticed an individual he believed to be a fifteen-year-old female to engage in illegal and illicit sexual activity. In addition, on or about August 28, 2026, CALIX-SARMIENTO, an alien, was found in the United States after having been deported and removed therefrom on or about August 27, 2013, February 11, 2014, and March 11, 2014, without the approval of the Attorney General of the United States, or his designated successor, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, having expressly consented to the defendant's reapplication for admission into the United States. Through a partnership between state and federal authorities, the U.S. Attorney's Office adopted the state charges, and is now federally prosecuting CALIX-SARMIENTO.
If convicted of Count 1, CALIX-SARMIENTO faces a mandatory minimum of ten (10) years and up to a lifetime in prison, at least five (5) years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, as well as sex offender registration. If convicted of Count 2, CALIX-SARMIENTO faces up to two (2) years imprisonment, and up to one (1) year of supervised release. As to each count, CALIX-SARMIENTO also faces up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U. S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Assumption Parish Sheriff's Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Mary Anne Flippo of the Public Integrity Unit and Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force is in charge of the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 www.projectsafechildhood.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..
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United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana published this content on October 26, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 26, 2026 at 19:31 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]