Jacksonville, FL — A now-former local Sailor is admitting to trying to entice a 15-year-old to have sex with him, and then traveling to meet with who he thought was that teen and one of her even younger friends to have sex with them.
WOKV first reported on the federal case against Erold Panopio late last year. Now, court records confirm he has reached a plea agreement with the US Attorney's Office.
The investigation of Panopio started last year, when a Clay Behavioral counselor came to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office with a complaint from a guardian of a 15-year-old, who believed the girl was talking to older men on her phone. Investigators found conversations between that girl and someone they identified as Panopio, as well as video of Panopio engaging in sexual acts with that victim and another young girl.
Court records say an undercover Special Agent assumed the identity of the initial victim and engaged Panopio several text conversation over the following days. The conversations, as outlined in the plea documents, include explicit topics and the two making plans for Panopio to meet who he thought was the teen and one of her 13-year-old friends for sex. When Panopio showed up at the address given for the meet-up, he was instead arrested.
The plea agreement says Panopio admitted to coming to the house for sex with two young girls, and that he had previously had sex with the 15-year-old victim.
In these new court records, there is also talk of a third juvenile victim that Panopio previously had sex with. Investigators say he had repeatedly demanded nude photos from that victim and threatened to show up at her house and tell her mom they had sex, if she didn’t send him nude photos and have sex with him again. The plea documents show that victim said she didn’t want him coming over, and she wanted to be left alone, but Panopio continued to message her.
A Magistrate Judge is recommending Panopio’s guilty plea be accepted. That will now go before a District Judge and, if accepted, that Judge will impose a sentence as well. The plea agreement says the one count of attempted online enticement of a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years.
At the time of Panopio’s arrest in November, he was a full-time, active duty Sailor supporting a reserve squadron at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The base confirms he was discharged from the Navy in January.
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