Fayette County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

 CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that Eugene Enrique Torres, 41, a Panamanian man residing in Fayetteville, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor. Torres was also sentenced to a term of supervised release of 20 years and will be required to register as a sex offender.

“Offenders that exploit, or seek to exploit our children, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “I commend the relentless efforts of my team and those our law enforcement partners to protect West Virginia’s most vulnerable.”

Torres previously admitted that in June 2020 he contacted a woman on Craigslist who identified herself as a mother who would allow him to have sex with her children in exchange for money. During the conversation, Torres arranged to have the woman travel from Beckley to a hotel in Fayetteville with an 11-year-old girl the woman stated was her daughter. Torres would then pay approximately $250 in order to engage in oral sex and sexual intercourse with the child. After he met with the purported mother at the hotel, Torres was arrested while walking with the mother to meet the child. 

The FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force conducted the investigation.   Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence.  Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald handled the prosecution.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00177.