Firebaugh Boys and Girls Club director sentenced to prison for enticing minor

Juan Martin Torres, the former director of the Firebaugh Boys and Girls Club, was sentenced Monday to 12 years and seven months in prison for enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

According to evidence presented at Torres’ trial in U.S. District Court in Fresno in February, Torres, 28, was supervising a 14-year-old boy who often came to the Firebaugh Boys and Girls Club after school to complete 120 hours of community service. Torres sent the boy messages over Facebook that offered to shortcut his community service hours requirement if the boy would agree to sexual acts with Torres. The boy reported the messages to law enforcement.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Firebaugh Police Department, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Tierney and Vincenza Rabenn prosecuted the case.

“We trust those in positions like the one held by the defendant to protect our children,” Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a release. “In committing this crime, the defendant committed an incredible breach of trust with the community, and we are grateful for the hard work by our partners in federal and local law enforcement to bring him to justice.”

Torres’ case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Firebaugh Boys and Girls Club director sentenced to prison for enticing minor."