Arizona man sentenced to a decade in prison after he attempted to coerce a teenage girl into sex

MISSOULA - An Arizona man who made numerous sexual advances to a teenage girl was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Manuel Flores, 72, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Flores tried to coerce a 15-year-old Montana girl into a sexual relationship while she was living in his house in Arizona and after she returned home. The girl was the daughter of a family friend; Flores had known her for several years. In June 2024, he arranged for the girl to travel from Montana to his home in Arizona to spend the summer.

While in his home, Flores texted the girl regarding his sexual interest in her. The girl rejected Flores' advances and returned to Montana at the end of the summer. However, Flores continued to text the girl, with many of these messages repeating and furthering the sexual advances he had sent over the summer. At times, he encouraged the girl to return to Arizona so that they could be together romantically.

The girl told her mother about Flores's behavior and the mom contacted law enforcement. Agents took over the girl's account and posed as the girl in further communication with Flores, who continued to message. In a string of texts, Flores requested in graphic detail nude photos of the girl and told her he would fly to Montana and not return to Arizona until he had her with him. Flores flew to Montana on Aug. 18, 2025, and was arrested by law enforcement when he landed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.