Illegal alien indicted in the Eastern District of Texas and charged with the kidnapping of a child from Louisiana

PLANO, Texas - A Honduran national illegally living in Princeton has been charged with federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas related to the kidnapping of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Osman Daniel Vasquez-Mejia, 18, was named in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with kidnapping, transportation of a minor, and improper entry by an alien.

If convicted, Vasquez-Mejia faces life in federal prison.

This case is 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 U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

This case is being investigated by the Allen Police Department, FBI, and the Collin County Sheriff's Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Anderson.

A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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