Deportation Ordered For Man, 39, Enticing Bristol Teen

BRISTOL, RI — A Brazilian national was sentenced to 19 ½ years in federal prison for "inducing a minor to have sex with him," the U.S. Attorney's office said Wednesday. Rafael P. Leal, 39, most recently lived in Boston, Mass. He was sentenced today in Providence to 235 months in federal prison. He was also ordered to be deported after he does his prison time.

A Bristol patrol officer saw Leal and a 14-year-old girl in a parked car at the Bristol Town Beach on Oct. 22, 2016. He was attempting to have sex with the teen. Police arrested him. He pleaded guilty June 7.

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines call for a prison term between 188 and 235 months, the U.S. Attorney's office said. The government recommended a harsher sentence of 241 months in prison.

The FBI and Bristol police investigated the case and found that Leal and the teen made contact via social media starting in June 2016.

"Leal groomed the victim through emotional manipulation and gifts. He escalated the relationship from an online relationship to numerous sexual encounters, despite the victim expressing to Leal that she did not want a sexual relationship. The investigation determined that Leal controlled the victim’s activity by insisting that she not engage in social activities with others, particularly male friends, and that she keep their contact and relationship from her parents," the office said.

He kept up his efforts to control her even after he was arrested and incarcerated, the U.S Attorney's office said.