Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Vertis McNeil Robinson, a 47-year-old resident of Monticello, Florida, has been indicted in federal court on charges of attempted enticement of a minor. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Robinson appeared for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick on August 21, 2025, in Tallahassee. His jury trial is scheduled for October 20, 2025, at 8:15 am before District Court Judge Robert L. Hinkle.
If convicted of the charge, Robinson could face a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and up to life imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Tallahassee Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer is prosecuting the case.
"An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial," according to the statement released by authorities.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to address child sexual exploitation and abuse using federal, state, and local resources to pursue offenders who use the Internet to exploit children as well as to rescue victims. Additional information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida operates under the direction of the Attorney General as one of 94 such offices across the country. Public court documents are accessible through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website, while more details about this office are available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
