A Clovis man has been sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for trying to lure a minor through Instagram.
Paul Espinosa, 56, will also have 10 years of supervised release once he completes his sentence behind bars.
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Driving the news: Court documents state that Espinosa initiated communications with an Instagram profile controlled by an undercover agent in May 2021.
- The undercover agent told Espinosa that she was 15 years old.
- That didn’t stop Espinosa, who continued to send her messages and called her using Instagram audio.
- Espinosa asked for explicit pictures multiple times and asked to meet up with her to “cuddle” and to “enjoy each other’s company at least for a night.”
- He also asked the undercover agent to send him a picture for his eyes only, while he sent her three sexually explicit photos of females.
The big picture: On June 26, 2021, Espinosa traveled to Fresno to meet up with the intended victim to engage in various forms of sexual activities.
- He was placed under arrest when he arrived, and on Sep. 25, 2023, Espinosa pleaded guilty.
- The case was a product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, along with assistance from the Fresno Police Department and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.
- The case was also brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative that launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
