An illegal immigrant from Mexico has plead guilty to attempting to transporting a child for sex in the United States.
Javier Guerrero Molina, 34, plead guilty to attempting to transport a child from Las Vegas to Jacksonville in order to have sex with her. According to the FBI, Molina was arrested at the Jacksonville airport in May and now faces life in prison. An immigration detainer has additionally been placed on him.
Court documents reportedly state that officers tracked Molina down after receiving a phone call from an individual in Las Vegas, who claimed a 14-year-old had gone missing from her home. The individual told police that she believed the child was being transported to Jacksonville.
Officers filed a “missing persons” report, after which a girl with the same name was discovered aboard a flight headed to Jacksonville from Las Vegas, with a layover in Charlotte.
The child was tracked down by authorities in Charlotte, and taken into protective custody.
Officials found Monlina in Jacksonville, as he was waiting at the airport lobby for the 14-year-old to get off her flight. Following his arrest, Molina admitted that he had entered the U.S. illegally in 1999 or 2000; he paid a smuggler $700 to help him enter the country.
Molina additionally claimed that he has had sex with the child before, the FBI reported. He had sent the 14-year-old money to purchase the plane ticket to Jacksonville so that they could continue their sexual relationship.
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.