Former H-E-B elementary principal gets 10 years for enticing minor

A former Hurst-Euless-Bedford elementary principal was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for enticing a minor to have sex with him in Frisco.

The sentence came three months after a federal jury found Oscar Figueroa, 47, of Carrollton, guilty of one federal count of enticement of a minor.

Figueroa, the ex-principal at Viridian Elementary School in Arlington, also was fined $12,500, according to federal court documents.

After being sentenced Monday morning, Figueroa was remanded to the custody of agents with the U.S. marshal’s office. Federal court officials recommended that Figueroa serve his time in Seagoville.

Figueroa faced a maximum of life in prison, but he received the minimum sentence, according to court records.

He was indicted last year on a count of enticement of a minor, stemming from allegations that he agreed to meet someone he thought was a juvenile at Stonebriar Centre mall in Frisco. That person turned out to be an undercover detective.

Figueroa resigned as principal of the school after his arrest. The school is in north Arlington, but in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district.

He was arrested July 7 by Frisco police.

Federal court documents gave this account of the case:

Figueroa placed an ad on Craigslist calling himself a “daddy,” seeking to have sex with a “son” at Stonebriar Centre. Figueroa later told Frisco police that it was not his first time posting on Craigslist.

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Jason Mitchell testified at a July 2015 detention hearing for Figueroa that the former principal sent text messages to the undercover officer seeking to have sex.

Figueroa directed the undercover officer to a movie theater and then a restroom. He was later arrested.

After his arrest, Figueroa’s cellphone was checked by federal agents, and images of young males in various states of undress were found, Mitchell said at the hearing.

Figueroa was ordered detained during the July 2015 hearing. His attorney filed a motion for a new detention hearing, which was denied in November, according to court documents. At the July hearing, multiple letters of support were submitted and his brother and father-in-law spoke on his behalf.

Court officials determined that he was a flight risk because he is a Mexican national and his family owns property in Mexico.

Figueroa had been an educator for 20 years. He joined the H-E-B district in 2007 as a bilingual/ESL coordinator, a position he had for four years before he was appointed principal at Hurst Hills Elementary in 2011, according to district officials.

He was named principal at Viridian Elementary in January 2014 and began hiring staff and working as principal while the school was under construction, according to the district.

Earlier in his career, Figueroa worked in the Richardson and Little Elm school districts. In 2004, he opened Carolyn G. Bukhair Elementary School in Richardson.

While in Little Elm, Figueroa was the district gifted-and-talented coordinator, grant writer and bilingual/ESL coordinator. He was also principal of King Early Childhood Center.

Figueroa has a master of education degree from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor of science from North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, according to the H-E-B school district website.

This story was originally published August 1, 2016 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Former H-E-B elementary principal gets 10 years for enticing minor."