A Florida man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for traveling to Texas with the intent to engage in sexual activity with a minor. The sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad E. Meacham.
Carlos Robles, aged 31, was indicted in May 2020 and pleaded guilty in August 2022 to the charge of Interstate Travel with Intent to Engage in a Sexual Act with a Minor. On March 11, 2025, U.S. District Judge Karen G. Scholer handed down the statutory maximum sentence of 360 months in federal prison. Additionally, Robles will be subject to 24 years of supervision following his release and must register as a sex offender.
Court documents reveal that on January 31, 2020, Robles traveled from Florida to Texas via commercial airline with the intention of engaging in sexual conduct with a victim under the age of 18. In delivering the sentence, the court highlighted several factors including the victim's age and over 5,000 messages exchanged between Robles and the victim over four months. The court also noted that Robles made four trips from Florida to meet the victim, including one visit at a roller-skating rink.
Acting U.S. Attorney Meacham stated: “The sentence today is a message to anyone who even thinks about traveling to the Northern District of Texas to prey on children – you will go to prison for a very long time.”
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Garland Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jongwoo Chung and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.