Nevada Man Indicted on Attempted Coercion of a Minor and Travel for Sex Charges

PITTSBURGH - A resident of North Las Vegas, Nevada, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual Activity and Travel With Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The three-count Indictment, returned on Dec. 17 and unsealed today, named Renad Bautista, age 30, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment, from in and around April 2018, until on or about December 9, 2019, Bautista used the Internet to knowingly attempt to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. The Indictment further alleges that on from on or about December 5, 2019 until on or about December 9, 2019, Bautista travelled for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual contact.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than life in prison, a fine of $750,000.00 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Mifflin Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.