NORRISTOWN — A Berks County man is headed to prison for attempting to meet who he believed was a 14-year-old girl for sex in King of Prussia, but unbeknownst to him, he was communicating with an undercover detective.
Angel Xavier Figueroa, 24, of the 1300 block of Hay Road, Temple, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 2 to 6 years in a state correctional institution after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempted aggravated indecent assault of a minor in connection with a November 2024 incident.
Judge Steven T. O’Neill, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Figueroa to complete three years of probation consecutive to parole, meaning Figueroa will be under court supervision for nine years.
O’Neill said Figueroa will be placed under sex offender supervision while on parole and probation. The judge added that Figueroa is prohibited from having contact with minors while serving the sentence.
Figueroa will undergo a psychosexual evaluation and must comply with all treatment recommendations, the judge said.
Additionally, Figueroa faces a lifetime requirement to report his address to state police to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, previously known as Megan’s Law.
Figueroa was arrested by detectives conducting undercover online investigations regarding child exploitation on social media platforms, according to a criminal complaint filed by Montgomery County Detective Michael Henricks and Upper Merion Detective Michael Davis.
On Nov. 21, 2024, Figueroa, using a social media chat platform, reached out to an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl, asking, “Are you available tonight? We can make it sneaky,” according to the criminal complaint.
The conversation was then directed in a sexual manner and included discussions about when and where they could meet, detectives alleged.
The conversation continued on Nov. 22, and Figueroa agreed to meet who he believed was the teenage girl at a location in the King of Prussia section of Upper Merion. According to the conversation, Figueroa planned to meet the girl and then drive to her home for a sexual encounter.
“I hope no one is at your house when we get back…and I hope this isn’t a trap. Not used to traveling this far,” Figueroa wrote, according to the arrest affidavit.
When Figueroa arrived at the meet location in the 500 block of Allendale Road in King of Prussia at about 5:30 p.m., detectives moved in and took him into custody.
During an interview by detectives, Figueroa admitted that he communicated with who he believed was a 14-year-old girl through a “meet me” application and drove from his Temple residence to King of Prussia “with intentions of having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old female,” detectives said.
Other charges of attempted statutory sexual assault, attempted indecent assault of a minor and criminal use of a communication facility were dismissed against Figueroa as part of the plea agreement.
Assistant District Attorney Anne Caitlyn O’Connell handled the case. Defense lawyer Abigail Silverman Leeds represented Figueroa during the court proceedings.