Indian National Indicted For Attempting To Entice A Minor To Engage In Sexual Activity

Ocala, Florida -United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Kirtan Patel (24, India) with attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Patel faces a mandatory minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Patel was arrested on the indictment on July 18, 2024. He is currently detained pending the resolution of the criminal case.

According to the indictment, between May 22-24, 2024, Patel knowingly attempted to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an individual whom he believed had not yet attained 18 years of age to engage in sexual activity.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff's Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

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 United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.