Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Mauricio Morales-Gonzalez, a 24-year-old Mexican national, has pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to entice or persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“Thanks to the relentless efforts of our incredible law enforcement partners, another child predator is behind bars and the community is safer. It is one of our most important duties to protect the most vulnerable members of our community from the predations of these sick individuals, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who seek to sexually exploit our children,” said U.S. Attorney Heekin.
According to court documents, Morales-Gonzalez was identified during an undercover operation conducted between April 10 and April 12, 2025. The operation involved detectives from the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, and agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Investigators discovered Morales-Gonzalez soliciting minors for sex through an online website. Believing he would meet a minor for sexual activity, he traveled to a meeting location where law enforcement arrested him.
Morales-Gonzalez faces a minimum mandatory sentence of ten years in prison with a possibility of life imprisonment, followed by supervised release ranging from five years to life.
The case was investigated jointly by local and federal agencies including the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from Tallahassee Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is set for October 27, 2025 at 10:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 that coordinates federal, state, and local resources against child exploitation on the Internet. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Additionally, this case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), which focuses Department of Justice resources on countering illegal immigration and dismantling criminal organizations involved in violent crime through coordination among various task forces such as OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida serves as one of 94 principal litigation offices nationwide under direction of the Attorney General. Further information about this office can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
