A Crystal Lake man has pleaded guilty to using Snapchat to solicit “sexually explicit” images from a 13-year-old child in Texas.

Juan Rodriguez-Figueroa, 21, pleaded guilty Friday in McHenry County court to possessing images of child sex abuse and was sentenced to six years in prison, according to an order signed by Judge Tiffany Davis.

During Rodriguez-Figueroa’s first court appearance last December, Assistant State’s Attorney Julio Cantre said that from March to October 2024, Rodriguez-Figueroa engaged in “ongoing deception to cultivate this relationship” with a 13-year-old child in a small Texas town. Rodriguez-Figueroa was 19 when he began communicating with the girl and had lied to her about his age, saying he was 16.

“He knew it was wrong,” Cantre said, adding that Rodriguez-Figueroa had changed his Snapchat name and changed his phone to hide what he was doing.

The investigation began after a cyber tip was reported to police. Authorities said detectives found in the defendant’s possession 50 files with images of the child in “lewd poses,” the prosecutor said. Rodriguez-Figueroa asked the child for sexually explicit photos, told her what he wanted her to do and sent photos of himself to her, Cantre said.

Rodriguez-Figueroa, who was released from county jail after the initial appearance with conditions including no internet use or contact with the child, is required to serve half his prison time. In exchange for the guilty plea, eight additional charges were dismissed, including grooming and additional charges of possessing images of child sex abuse, the order shows.