CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A 33-year-old man was convicted Wednesday on federal charges for trying to lure an underage girl into sex.
Kevin Figueroa was found guilty of attempting to persuade a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, attempting to transfer obscene material to an individual under the age of 16, and destruction of evidence to prevent search or seizure, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Figueroa was indicted in April following an investigation that began in November 2019, after Figueroa initiated online contact with an undercover FBI agent who was posing as a 15-year-old girl.
Figueroa used the profile of “Spike tkro,” which identified him as a 25-year-old man living in Nashville, and he was communicating through the online dating application, Meet24. Figueroa continued to message the undercover agent, even after confirming the undercover persona used by the agent was a 15-year-old girl, and sent a picture of a penis, according to a news release.
He continued to communicate with the undercover agent and proposed meeting for sexual activity on Nov. 26, 2019. The meeting was arranged, however Figueroa failed to show. In December 2019, Figueroa again initiated contact with the undercover agent, this time using the mobile dating application MeetMe and the profile of “Kevin F,” a 32-year-old man living in Clarksville. Figueroa turned the conversation to a sexual nature and again suggested meeting for sexual activity, again after confirming the undercover persona was a 15- year-old girl. A meeting was arranged for March 17, 2020, at the girl’s residence. When Figueroa arrived, he was met by FBI agents and detained. When Figueroa learned that the agents intended to seize his cell phone, he quickly deleted the Kik messaging application and tried to delete the Plenty of Fish dating application, the release said.
During the investigation, agents learned that Figueroa had engaged in sexual activity with multiple minor victims before his first contact with the undercover agent, the release said.
Figueroa faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years, and up to life in prison, when he is sentenced on Dec. 2.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Morrison and Robert E. McGuire are prosecuting the case.