Kirtan Patel, a 24-year-old Indian national from Gujarat, pleaded guilty to charges of “attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida, said in a statement Thursday.
Patel, who was arrested in July of this year, faces a minimum sentence of 10 years to life in federal prison. A sentencing date is yet to be set.
He was among 33 men of various nationalities arrested following a sting operation by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) with assistance from the Ocala Police Department, Chiefland Police Department, and Department of Homeland Security.
Kirtan Patel, an Indian national from Gujarat, was among 33 men of various nationalities arrested following a sting operation conducted by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).
Patel allegedly contacted an undercover officer, posing as a minor online, “seeking to engage in sexual activity”. In online interactions, Patel allegedly engaged in “sexually explicit conversations and graphically described sexual acts,” according to Marion County Sheriff’s Office officials.
According to the indictment, between May 22 and 24, Patel knowingly attempted to persuade and coerce a person under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity. This case was investigated by HSI Orlando and MCSO. Patel was arrested on July 18 after going to a location in Marion County to engage in sexual activity with the child. Of the 33 men arrested in the sting, nine, including Patel, “actually traveled to have sex with minors,” according to the indictment.
“Many of these (arrested) males arranged to meet with what they believed to be a child between the ages of 13-15. Some of them even traveled from outside of Florida to arrange the meeting locations. Deputies and detectives recovered firearms, drugs, cash, and recovered the vehicles, and more arrests are expected as detectives follow up on the various cases.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janet Swartzberg.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The United States Attorney’s Office and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal , lead state and local resources to detect, arrest, and prosecute child sexual abusers, and to identify and rescue victims,” Mid District, Florida, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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