Israel Ramos Portillo, also known as “Juan Carlos,” a 39-year-old citizen of Honduras living in Coffee Springs, Alabama, was found guilty by a federal jury on charges related to attempting to entice a minor for unlawful sexual activity and traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The verdict was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “This case exemplified the persistent threats our children face online from predators like this defendant seeking to sexually exploit and victimize them. Fortunately, our state and federal law enforcement partners are keenly focused on identifying and catching those predators wherever they lurk online, and my office stands ready to aggressively prosecute these crimes to keep our kids safe.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that on April 12, 2025, law enforcement agencies conducted an undercover operation targeting adults who use the internet to exploit children. Portillo began communicating with an undercover profile operated by law enforcement posing as a 14-year-old child on a dating website. Over two weeks, he sent explicit messages and arranged to travel from Alabama to Tallahassee with plans to meet the supposed minor and take her to a hotel.
When Portillo arrived at the meeting location in Tallahassee, he was arrested by law enforcement officers. His cell phone was seized and later confirmed as the device used for communication with the undercover detective. Authorities determined that he traveled across state lines intending to engage in sexual conduct with someone he believed was a minor.
Portillo faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and could receive up to life imprisonment, followed by supervised release. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon release. Since he is not legally present in the United States, deportation proceedings will follow his sentence.
The investigation involved cooperation between the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 19, 2026, at 2:00 pm at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Judge Mark E. Walker.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies (more information available at www.projectsafechildhood.gov). The case also falls under Operation Take Back America, which focuses on addressing illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 such offices nationwide serving under the direction of the Attorney General (more details can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl).
