LUBBOCK, Texas — A former teacher with the O’Donnell Independent School District, Nicholas Dominique Bueno, 27 at the time of his arrest, was found guilty of Enticement and Attempted Enticement of a Minor, according to federal court records obtained by EverythingLubbock.com on Monday.
EverythingLubbock.com previously reported Bueno entered a guilty plea for three counts of Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor but chose to proceed to trial for one count of Enticement and Attempted Enticement of a Minor. A bench trial was held on Friday.
Bueno was initially arrested in October of 2022 after a 14-year-old girl’s father discovered sexually explicit messages and went to the authorities. Federal court documents accused Bueno of trying to “shame [the victim] for not reciprocating his sexual desires.”
One message sent from Bueno to the underage victim said, “I didn’t pursue you to be in the f****** friend zone.” Court records described the messages from the former teacher as “consistent with grooming behavior.”
Bueno used a “burner phone” to contact the 14-year-old victim, court documents stated, and told her to delete the messages off her phone. Court records said Bueno tried to destroy his phone after school administration found out about the texts. When Bueno was interviewed by Special Agents, court records said he initially claimed that “someone else accessed his phone since he left it in the classroom during the day.”
As the interview progressed, Bueno eventually admitted to the inappropriate messages, according to court documents. Court records stated Bueno also admitted that he sent pictures of his genitals to two girls who were younger than 16-years-old, along with the 14-year-old victim.
The school website previously listed Nick Bueno as a biology teacher, head basketball coach and assistant football coach.
Bueno faced up to life in prison, but his sentencing will be at a later date. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. As of Monday, Bueno remained in federal custody.
