Texas man sentenced for getting 15-year-old girl pregnant
03/22/2022 12:57 pm PDT
EDINBURG, Texas (TCD) -- A 23-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for impregnating an underage girl and trying to bring her to the U.S. from Mexico.
In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Carlos Uribe-Garza to serve 121 months in federal prison for "engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in Mexico." He pleaded guilty in June 2021.
According to the statement, Uribe-Garza met the victim at her 15th birthday party in Mexico. He reportedly started communicating with her on social media, and from December 2020 to February 2021, he "pursued a sexual relationship with the victim." He reportedly traveled between Texas and Mexico several times and the girl ultimately became pregnant in February 2021.
Uribe-Garza reportedly tried bringing the girl to the United States at the Hidalgo Port of Entry on Feb. 24, 2021. He reportedly cut the victim’s hair and dressed her in men’s clothing to disguise her as a male. He also gave her fake identification papers.
According to court documents cited by KVEO-TV, Uribe-Garza told officials the victim was his cousin and then admitted she was his girlfriend. The girl’s mother reportedly told law enforcement officials Uribe-Garza took her daughter away without her permission, though she was aware of their relationship.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Uribe-Garza acted "emotionally manipulative towards the victim and had associates confront her and her family at their residence." The judge reportedly determined Uribe-Garza "engaged in the obstruction of justice."
In addition to his relationship with the 15-year-old, Uribe-Garza reportedly had another sexual relationship with a 16-year-old in 2019 and she, too, got pregnant. He reportedly told the 16-year-old not to tell anyone about their relationship because he did not want to "catch a case."
After the 121 months, Uribe-Garza will serve five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
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