A 72-year-old Arizona man has been sentenced to a decade in federal prison after attempting to coerce a 15-year-old Montana girl into a sexual relationship, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana announced, as first reported by nbcmontana.com.

Manuel Flores, who knew the victim through her family, arranged for the teenager to spend the summer of 2024 at his Arizona home. During that stay, he sent her sexually explicit messages. The girl rejected his advances and returned to Montana.

Flores did not stop after she left. He continued sending explicit messages and urged her to come back to Arizona. When the victim’s mother learned what was happening, law enforcement stepped in and took over the girl’s account. Investigators then watched as Flores requested nude photos and stated his intention to travel to Montana to bring her back to Arizona.

On August 18, 2025, Flores boarded a flight to Montana — and was arrested upon landing. He pleaded guilty in February to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

At sentencing, a federal judge imposed 10 years in prison along with lifetime supervised release.

The case is one of several high-profile federal criminal sentences recently handed down in Montana. In a separate case, a Box Elder man received a decade in federal prison for fentanyl trafficking on the Rocky Boy Reservation.