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A 41-year-old Indian-origin man on Thursday was sentenced to life in prison for enticing a minor to engage in sexual conduct and 30 years' imprisonment for production of child pornography.
Deepak Deshpande, who hails from California, pleaded guilty in October last year. The District Judge Carlos Mendoza had sentenced him of imprisonment.
The presented documents and evidences in the case have proved that Deshpande contacted the minor in Orlando through an online chat application in July 2017 during which he posed as a modelling agent and persuaded the minor to send him objectionable images of herself.
In the duration of a few months, Deshpande posing as two other individuals, contacted the same minor and threatened her to disseminate her pictures if she did not continue producing additional child pornography for him.
Deshpande travelled to Orlando in Florida from California in September 2017, to meet the minor in person for the first time.
He brought the minor to a local hotel and filmed himself sexually assaulting the victim multiple times. He visited to Orlando four times between September 2017 and April 2018 during which he repeated the same conduct.
The FBI began investigating Deshpande in early May 2018. An undercover FBI agent then began posing as the minor in communications with Deshpande. As a result, Deshpande returned to Orlando and was arrested at the Airport as soon as he arrived there.
Following his arrest, Deshpande plotted to kidnap and murder the minor victim in advance of his trial. He recruited a fellow inmate, whom he believed would soon be released, to serve as a middleman. He gave them the names and contact information for individuals who might be willing to carry out the abduction and murder and furnished personal details concerning the victim and her family, including her residence and schedule.
However, the FBI conducted another undercover investigation thwarting his efforts.
"This case is particularly noteworthy in the level of planning conducted and depravity displayed by the perpetrator. I would like to recognise the courage of the victim who helped make sure this predator cannot hurt others and also encourage our community to remain vigilant online and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement," Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division Eric Sporre said.
