American Falls Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Child Enticement

The following is a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.

POCATELLO — Jesus Nieto, 20, of American Falls has been sentenced in United States District Court to 300 months in prison for enticing and coercing two underage girls, followed by 15 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael Gonzalez announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Nieto to pay a $5,100 special assessment. Nieto pleaded guilty to the charge on March 2, 2017.

According to the plea agreement, Nieto utilized Internet-based social media to communicate with two girls, ages 11 and 15, for the purpose of soliciting sexually explicit pictures and persuading and coercing the girls into engaging in sexual intercourse with him. Nieto communicated with the girls from approximately November 2015 to January 2016. Evidence introduced at sentencing indicated that Nieto had engaged in unlawful sexual activity with other underage girls as well.

The case was investigated by the American Falls Police Department, with the assistance of the Power County Prosecutor’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

This case was brought as 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.