Long Prison Stint for Fresno Man Busted in Child Solicitation Sting

By gvwire

Published 11 months ago on

June 17, 2024

Christopher Contreras, 30, of Fresno, used Snapchat, Skout, and text messages to arrange a meet-up for sex with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, prosecutors said. (Shutterstock)

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Christopher Contreras, 30, of Fresno is headed to federal prison for more than 15 years after his sentencing on child solicitation charges on Monday.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston sentenced Contreras to 15 years and nine months for attempted coercion of a minor and enticement of a minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a news release.

The sentence includes 20 years of supervised release during which time Contreras’s access to minors, computers, and the internet will be restricted. Contreras was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, Contreras used the messaging applications Skout and Snapchat as well as text messages to engage in sexually explicit communications with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old female.

Second Arrest a Short Time Later

After arranging to meet the purported 13-year-old in Fresno for sex — when, in fact, he had been talking to an undercover officer — Contreras was arrested and booked into Fresno County Jail on July 31, 2020.

After being released on bail, Contreras picked up a juvenile after making arrangements on the Meet Me app. Officers arrested him on Oct. 13, 2020, after responding to a call about a missing juvenile. He has been in federal custody since June 2021.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, specifically Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa prosecuted the case.