A 24-year-old Guatemalan national faces up to life in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempting to entice a minor for sexual activity in Marion County.
Ismael Osbaldo Pedro Tomas entered the plea following an online investigation by local and federal authorities, United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced. Pedro Tomas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A formal sentencing date has not been set.
Court documents show that between July 22 and August 11, 2025, Pedro Tomas used online messaging to communicate with an individual he believed was a 13-year-old child. The online persona was actually an undercover detective working with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
During their digital conversations, Pedro Tomas detailed specific sexual acts he wanted to perform and discussed exchanging money for the encounter. The investigation concluded when Pedro Tomas drove to a designated meeting spot in Marion County, expecting to meet the child. Law enforcement officers arrested him immediately upon his arrival at the location.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations jointly conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg is prosecuting the case.
The arrest and subsequent conviction fall under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006. The nationwide program coordinates federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to investigate child sexual exploitation, prosecute offenders, and locate victims.
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