Tallahassee man pleads guilty to child exploitation offenses and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (DOJ)

Tallahassee, Florida - Amontea Allen John Mitchell, 28, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of attempted enticement of a minor, one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "I deeply appreciate the continued vigilance of our state and federal law enforcement partners to stay one step ahead of the sexual predators, like this defendant, who seek to sexually exploit and victimize kids online. Aggressively prosecuting these sick individuals and ensuring they remain locked away in prison is the best way we can ensure our kids stay safe."

Court documents reflect that in April 2026, the Leon County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Tallahassee Police Department conducted an undercover operation to identify individuals using the internet to sexually exploit children. During the operation, Mitchell responded to an online advertisement for a female escort and began communicating through text message with an undercover officer who was posing as a 15-year-old child. After the undercover officer told the defendant he was speaking to a 15-year-old female, the defendant proceeded to send an obscene photograph and asked the child to produce child pornography to send to him. The defendant ultimately expressed an interest in engaging in sex with the child. Law enforcement arrested the defendant near an arranged meeting location. Inside the defendant's backpack, agents found three condoms and a firearm. Mitchell is a felon with multiple prior felony convictions, and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Mitchell faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison, with a maximum of life imprisonment, for the attempted enticement of a minor count; up to a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment for the attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor count; and up to 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 17, 2026, at 3:00 PM at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Mark E. Walker.

This case involved a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff's Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Emma Schwan is prosecuting the case.

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. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.