Tony Leroy Bartley, Jr., a 37-year-old resident of Jacksonville, has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity using the internet. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. Bartley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and could receive up to life in federal prison, along with a possible lifetime term of supervised release. Sentencing is set for April 21, 2026.
Court documents show that between June 17 and July 30, 2025, an FBI agent conducted an undercover operation on a social media application aimed at identifying adults seeking sexual contact with minors. On several dates in late July, the agent exchanged messages with an individual using the name “keven.” After being told by the agent that “she” was only 13 years old, “keven” suggested engaging in sexual activity and sent explicit messages and photos.
Bartley was identified as the person behind the account and was arrested near his apartment on August 5, 2025. During questioning, he admitted to communicating online with someone he believed was underage and discussing sexual acts. Bartley stated, “I should have stopped at 13, and that’s on me.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown is prosecuting.
“This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office,” according to court documents.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to address child sexual exploitation by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to identify offenders and protect victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
