Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
John Frederick Black, a 46-year-old resident of Houston, Texas, has been charged with one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to minors. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
According to court documents, the charge stems from an undercover operation in Tallahassee conducted by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office in January 2026. The operation aimed to identify adults using the Internet to sexually exploit children. During this operation, Black allegedly contacted an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl and engaged in sexually explicit conversations. He is also accused of sending obscene photographs and videos of himself. Investigators determined that Black was living in Texas and working as a police detective.
If found guilty, Black could face up to ten years in prison.
The investigation involved both the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting the case with support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims," according to information provided by authorities.
Project Safe Childhood is a national program started by the Department of Justice in 2006 that coordinates efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to address online child exploitation cases. More details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices serving as principal litigators under direction from the Attorney General. Public court documents are available through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. Additional information about this office can be accessed at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
