Indian national Kirtan Patel (24) has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, a US attorney said on Wednesday.
Patel, who lives in Florida, faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date is yet to be set.
According to the plea agreement, between May 22 and May 24, Patel communicated online with someone whom he believed was a 13-year-old girl.
The person, however, was an undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent. Patel engaged in a sexually-explicit conversation with the undercover agent.
Ultimately, Patel was arrested when he travelled to a location in Marion County to engage in sexual activity with the child, US Attorney Roger B Handberg said.