Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Entice 13-Year-Old for Sexual Activity in Federal Sting Operation

A Jacksonville man has pleaded guilty in federal court after attempting to entice a 13-year-old child into sexual activity during an undercover federal investigation targeting online predators.

Jerry Alexander Cobb, 38, of Jacksonville, pleaded guilty to using a cellphone and the internet to attempt to persuade, induce, or entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. Cobb now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment, along with a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2026.

According to court records, the case stems from an undercover operation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville between July 18 and August 1, 2025, targeting adults who attempt to contact minors through online social media platforms for sexual exploitation.

During the investigation, an FBI undercover agent operating on a social media application encountered a user identified as “Jerry,” later confirmed to be Cobb. The agent represented herself as a 13-year-old girl. After learning the purported age of the child, Cobb continued communicating through private messages and began asking questions about the child’s location and whether she could leave her home at night.

Investigators state that Cobb asked whether the child was a virgin and repeatedly attempted to arrange a meeting. On July 30, 2025, Cobb proposed meeting at a hotel and suggested engaging in sexual activity there, indicating that he would bring and use a condom.

The following day, Cobb reaffirmed the plan and sent additional messages expressing his intent to meet the child for sex. On August 1, 2025, Cobb traveled to a prearranged meeting location in Jacksonville where he believed he would meet the 13-year-old.

Upon arriving at the meeting site, Cobb was taken into custody by FBI agents.

Federal prosecutors charged Cobb under 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b), a statute that criminalizes using interstate communications—including the internet, social media platforms, or mobile devices—to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce a minor into sexual activity. The statute carries severe penalties due to the role digital communication technologies play in enabling offenders to target children.

Investigations of attempted enticement cases frequently rely on undercover operations conducted by federal and local law enforcement officers posing as minors online. These operations are designed to identify individuals actively seeking to exploit children and to intervene before a real victim is harmed.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

This prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat the sexual exploitation of minors. The program coordinates federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to identify offenders, dismantle exploitation networks, and locate victims of abuse.

Federal authorities continue to prioritize cases involving online enticement and exploitation of minors, particularly those involving the use of social media platforms and encrypted communication tools to contact children.

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