JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Mayport sailor will spend at least 10 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to using his cellphone and the internet to try and entice a 13-year-old for sex, according to a release from the Department of Justice on Friday.
Michael Brockway, 40, was arrested in July 2023 after a government agent identified him through an undercover investigation meant to find adults trying to meet children online for sexual activity.
According to the DOJ, Brockway engaged in inappropriate conversations with the undercover agent, who was pretending to be a 13-year-old girl.
"During these online conversations, Brockway confirmed the "child" was only 13 years old, inquired about the child's sexual experience, and asked if the child wanted to meet him in person for sex," a release from the DOJ states.
Brockway sent the agent posing as a child sexually explicit videos of himself, one video he produced while onboard a U.S. Navy ship docked at Naval Station Mayport, the DOJ said.
On July 28, 2023, detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrested Brockway, after he went to a restaurant near the apartment complex where the "child" told him "she" was living.
After a search through Brockway's cellphone, investigators found at least 200 photos and 400 videos depicting children being sexually abused. Detectives also recovered three condoms from Brockway's front pockets.
Brockway faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and has the potential of serving supervised release for the rest of his life.
Brockway's sentencing hearing is pending.