Oklahoma man pleads guilty to transporting Indiana teen across state lines
TULSA, Okla. — A Commerce, Oklahoma man who traveled to Indiana for a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl pleaded guilty in federal court.
Jonathan Eliezer Miranda Juarez, 29, pleaded guilty to two federal charges of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. A sentencing date has not been set.
He faces up to a life sentence and up to a $250,000 fine, according to his plea agreement.
Juarez’s conviction can also be used against him in a deportation hearing, court records show.
The teen, who at the time of Juarez’s arrest told arresting officers
she believed she was pregnant.Ottawa County Arrest Affidavit
Juarez lived in Oklahoma for two months before his August 19, 2023 arrest. He told investigators he and the teen had been dating since she was 10 years old and they had met on the social media site Snapchat, the affidavit states.
It also states, Juarez had received nude photographs of the victim, but the two had never met until August 18, 2023. He left Oklahoma the day before to pick up the teenager.
According to the affidavit, the teen agreed to move to Oklahoma with Juarez to start a family.
Juarez was charged in Ottawa County District Court with second-degree rape, soliciting a minor for indecent exposure/obscene material and harboring a runaway child.
Those charges were dismissed after federal prosecutors charged Jurez, court records show.
