Noel Daniel Simonca, a 48-year-old resident of Jacksonville, was sentenced on Mar. 24 to 14 years in federal prison for attempting to entice an 11-year-old child into sexual activity using his cellphone and the internet. United States District Judge Jordan Emery Pratt handed down the sentence after Simonca pleaded guilty on October 28, 2025. In addition to his prison term, Simonca will serve a ten-year supervised release and must register as a sex offender, according to U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to combat online child exploitation and protect minors from sexual predators.
Court documents reveal that on December 10, 2024, an undercover FBI agent in Jacksonville was conducting an operation targeting adults seeking sexual contact with children through online platforms. The agent posed as someone with access to an underage child and posted messages in a public chat room of a social messaging app. Simonca, using the screen name “mdesase,” contacted the agent and expressed interest in meeting the fictitious child while indicating he had a preference for children aged "8-13." Subsequent conversations included discussions about arranging meetings and exchanging photos of minors.
Simonca continued communicating with the undercover agent over several weeks, detailing plans for abuse and referencing photo shoots involving the supposed child. On January 19, 2025, he arrived at a prearranged location expecting to meet both the agent and the minor but was arrested by FBI agents upon arrival.
Further investigation found that Simonca had also communicated with another adult outside Florida who sent him images depicting sexual abuse of another minor; this individual was later identified and arrested by authorities in February 2025.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation into these offenses. Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative started by the Department of Justice in 2006—to address growing concerns over child exploitation online. The program coordinates federal, state, and local resources to apprehend offenders who target children via digital means.
