Jacksonville Man Indicted for Attempting to Entice a 13-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual Activity

Jacksonville, Florida - Adeis Jonathan Francis (25, Jacksonville) has been charged by indictment with attempted enticement of a child to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Francis faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment and other court documents, between February 17 and March 6, 2026, an FBI agent (UC), posing as a 13-year-old child, conducted an undercover operation in Jacksonville and Pensacola using an online social media application ("app") to identify adults who were seeking to make online contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this period, UC and app user "Jay" exchanged several online messages on the app and by text messaging. After UC advised "Jay" that the "child" was 13 years old, "Jay," who was subsequently identified as Francis, asked the "child" if "she" was ok talking with him, and requested the "child" to send him photos.

On March 5, 2026, Francis asked the "child" if she was a "virgin" and texted, "I can show you how to have sex ..." Francis also described by text message the sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the "child." After more text conversations discussing his plans and desire to meet the "child" in person for sex, on March 6, 2026, Francis boarded a bus in Jacksonville and rode to the vicinity of the "child's" purported residence, where he was arrested by FBI agents.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and Pensacola. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.