A Miami-Dade County resident was sentenced to prison today for attempting to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and for attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Robert C. Hutchinson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), made the announcement.
Gerald D. Jenkins, 59, of Homestead, Florida, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Jenkins previously pled guilty to one count of attempting to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b), and two counts of attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1470.
According to court documents, on Sept. 29, 2015, law enforcement, while acting in an undercover capacity, responded to Jenkins’ advertisement on an online chat, soliciting sexual contact. Law enforcement, posing as the father of a thirteen-year-old female (identified as “Mia") responded to the defendant’s online advertisement via email. During the conversation between the defendant and law enforcement, Jenkins professed his interest in having sexual contact with the thirteen-year-old.
During communications on Nov. 2, 2015, Jenkins stated that he was willing to purchase intimate clothing for “Mia" and to pay $1,000 in exchange for being able to have sexual contact with the minor.
On November 4, 2015, Jenkins requested the minor’s email address so that he could contact her directly. Later that day, Jenkins sent an email to the account he believed belonged to the thirteen-year-old and expressed his desire to have sexual contact with the minor. Jenkins also sent the minor a sexually explicit photograph.
On Nov. 11, 2015, Jenkins emailed “Mia," who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer posing as the thirteen-year-old, and provided graphic detail of his sexual desires and sent additional sexually explicit photographs.
Thereafter, Jenkins continued to have contact with the individuals he believed were the minor and her father, regarding his interest in engaging in sexual contact with the thirteen-year-old.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
