SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 28, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A 33-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to engage in sexual activity with someone he believed to be an under-aged girl.
Christopher Philip Padilla, 33, had in fact connected on Facebook with an officer engaged in an undercover operation.
According to court documents, Padilla, of Salt Lake City, “admitted that between September 2020 and January 2021 he used Facebook Messenger and his cell phone to communicate with a 13-year-old girl,” says a statement released by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Utah.
“On January 15, 2021, Padilla drove to an area in Salt Lake City intending to meet and engage in sexual activity with the minor,” the statement says. “Padilla also admitted that by using Facebook Messenger and his mobile phone, the communications transferred across state lines because they were transported via the internet, a facility of interstate or foreign commerce.”
In addition to his sentence of 120 months’ imprisonment, Padilla was ordered to a lifetime of supervised release and must register and maintain his information under the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah, made the announcement. The case was investigated by the Salt Lake City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol Dain, of the District of Utah, prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. To learn more, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
