Texas man headed to prison for trying to sexually entice minor

 BROWNSVILLE, Texas - A 49-year-old Austin man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Jeffrey Charles Hyde Jr. pleaded guilty Nov. 1, 2018.

Today, U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera Jr. ordered him to serve 121 months in federal prison. Hyde was further ordered to pay restitution to the victim and will serve 25 years on supervised released following completion of his prison term, during which he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He has also been ordered to register as a sex offender.

“Child exploitation investigations continue to be one of our highest priorities,” said Deputy Special Agent in Charge Timothy Tubbs of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “No crime affects us more deeply than the exploitation of innocent children. HSI will continue to identity, arrest and prosecute those who traumatize and victimize children.”

On or about Sept. 9 to Nov. 28, 2017, Hyde utilized a cell phone to attempt to persuade and entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity. During this time, Hyde was residing in Austin and communicating with a minor female  n the Rio Grande Valley area.

During these texts, Hyde actively attempted to persuade the minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity. He also sent sexually-explicit videos to the minor.

HSI - Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Task Force conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana C. Cano prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.