WICHITA, KAN. – A Texas man was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in federal prison for taking a Hutchinson, Kan., girl across state lines for sex, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Juan Carlos Carmona, 37, Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of traveling from Texas to Kansas to have sex with a minor and one count of transporting a minor from Kansas to Texas to have sex with her.

In his plea, Carmona admitted that in mid-2017 he began communicating over the internet with a minor female. In April 2018, he traveled from Houston to Hutchinson, Kan., to meet the 15-year-old. His purpose was to obtain a hotel room and to have sex with the girl. After doing so, he returned to Houston.

In May 2018, Carmona returned to Kansas and picked up the 15-year-old girl. He transported her to Houston, where he intended to have sex with her.