Age-regressed photos of police officer help convict Texas man looking for sex with teen girl
SNYDER – A Texas man who attempted to meet a "kid" for sex in exchange for Skittles and whisky could face up to life in prison after he was convicted following an undercover online investigation.
Jose Luis Espinoza Jr., 38, was busted in February during a sting in Snyder, a city about 260 miles west of Dallas. He was recently convicted at trial for attempted enticement of a minor, announced this Wednesday in a press release Leigha Simonton, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
The Snyder Police Department conducted the investigation with the help of the FBI's Dallas Field Office.
On Feb. 5, a Snyder police officer created a social media profile posing as a 13-year-old girl named "Maddi." Later that day, Espinoza reached out to Maddi's profile and immediately began discussing sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Espinoza also requested photos of the girl. After receiving a photo of what appeared to be a girl, but was really an age-regressed photo of the officer, Espinoza continued to send lewd and lascivious messages, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
"You really are a kid, aren't you," he said in communications with the undercover officer. "I'm a horny old guy... guys get locked up for talking to girls like you."
On Feb. 7, Espinoza told Maddi to meet him at a park near her house.
He promised her Skittles and whisky. He also said he would bring a towel for her.
"Idk if I wanna do it I am scared," the officer posing as a teen girl told Espinoza, to which he responded with a laughing emoji and told her she was "so whiny" and needed to "relax."
That same day, Espinoza was arrested at the park. In his car, Snyder police officers found Skittles, whisky, condoms, a towel and a 9mm Glock handgun.
Espinoza could spend 10 years to life in prison.
Meanwhile, Tim Bray, director of the Institute for Urban Policy Research at the University of Texas at Dallas, said law enforcement is continually "taking advantage of new technology, and age regression of photos is just one of those."
"This allows us to still have operations but not bring pictures of real children into the equation," Bray said.
Bray said creating age-regressed photos is quite simple, noting some social media platforms allow you to upload a photo of yourself and, within seconds, generate images that make you look younger.
"So everything is legal until a court tells us otherwise," Bray said. "I think one of the advantages here is that is actually a photo of the person that they were interacting with."
