A San Diego man was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for coercing and enticing minors for sex, the California Attorney General's Office announced. Jose De Jesus Anguiano entered a guilty plea on February 24, 2026, to a felony count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
As part of the plea agreement, Anguiano admitted to illicit acts involving additional children from April 2022 through August 2024, including instances of solicitation and rape. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.
The California Department of Justice's San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force spearheaded the investigation. Anguiano used social media to contact minors, offering items such as alcohol, marijuana, and money.
The case came to light on August 29, 2024, when Anguiano contacted the San Diego Police Department to report an attempted armed carjacking. Police determined the carjacking attempt occurred during a meeting Anguiano had arranged with a minor for sex, with the minor's trafficker attempting to rob him. San Diego Police referred the matter to the Human Trafficking Task Force for further investigation.
"There's an irony in a child predator calling the cops on another criminal. But more important is the justice this sentence serves. It's a clear reminder to predators that the law is not your shield or your weapon. The law belongs to the victims," said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.
Since 2021, the DOJ-led task forces in San Diego and Fresno have arrested 1,167 traffickers and assisted 1,196 survivors of human trafficking.