Pembroke Pines man tried to meet teen for sex acts in sting operation, cops say
An undercover operation has landed a Pembroke Pines man in jail on accusations that he sent explicit messages and solicited sex from detectives posing as a teen girl, court records show.
Luis Miguel Manrique, 38, was lured to Miami by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force on Jan. 27, believing he was picking up a 14-year-old girl he’d been messaging for roughly a week, according to his arrest report.
Detectives arrested him when he arrived and searched his phone.
He now faces four felony charges, including using a computer to solicit/travel to meet a minor, promoting sexual performance by a child, using a computer to seduce or lure a child to engage in sexual conduct, and depicting obscene material to a minor.
His attorney did not respond to the Pembroke Pines News’ request for comment on Jan. 28.
The investigation began Jan. 19, according court records. Manrique and the undercover detective began messaging, and Manrique quickly learned the fictitious girl’s age, a transcript of their conversation reveals.
Despite being told she was 14 several times, Manrique continued to express interest, sending photos of his genitals, describing sex acts and agreeing to pick her up, according to the arrest affidavit.
The 38-year-old requested she send photos of herself in the shower and said he’d take care of her “like my own daughter,” offering to buy her a McDonald’s Happy Meal, reads the report.
In another message, court records show, he inquires about her virgnity and asks to meet her in person the following day.
He also agreed to bring condoms and sent a photo of the contraceptives before heading to the pickup location in Miami, where he was pulled over in his truck, according to the arrest report.
After Manrique was arrested, he told investigators he knew he’d been chatting with a teen girl, reads the affidavit, and added that he planned to marry her once she turned 18.
Manrique told investigators he planned to engage in sex acts with the teen in his pickup truck.
When shown the photos of his genitals and the box of condoms he sent, detectives say he positively identified them as his.
Court records show he told detectives that he instructed the girl to delete the explicit photos because “he knew it was wrong.”
Manrique is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade, and his bond has yet to be set, jail records show.
