Illegal Immigrant Sentenced for Attempting to Have Sex with a Minor

Bryan Silva, age 34, was sentenced on November 5, 2026, by United States District Judge Anthony J. Brindisi to 10 years' imprisonment for attempting to persuade or entice a minor to engage in prostitution. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

Silva was a Brazilian citizen illegally present in the United States. On April 29, 2025, Silva responded to a sting ad placed on a website by the FBI advertising a young female for sex. The defendant was told repeatedly that the female was 12. Despite this, the defendant went to meet the girl and paid $100 for a "quick visit." After handing over the money, the defendant was arrested.

Silva pled guilty to attempting to persuade or entice a minor to engage in prostitution on July 28, 2026. In addition to being sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, Silva was sentenced to 5 years' supervised release following his release from prison. After serving his sentence, Silva will be subject to deportation.

First Assistant United States Attorney Sarcone stated: "This defendant attempted to prey upon our most vulnerable population and was present in the country illegally. We are thankful that the defendant was caught in a sting and that no minors were placed at risk. After he has served his sentence, he will be removed from the country and unable to return."

"Mr. Silva will spend the next decade behind bars in federal prison because of his deplorable decision to arrange to have sex with a 12-year-old child," said Craig Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albany Field Office. "The FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force will continue to prioritize identifying and aggressively investigating these sick predators so they end up in prison where they cannot harm our children."

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Walter prosecuted the case.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.