JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for using Facebook to attempt to entice a 14-year-old child to engage in sexual activity.
Michael Jonathan Paul, 50, was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and must register as a sex offender, according to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office.
Paul pleaded guilty on April 26, 2021.
According to the plea agreement, between May 28 and July 28, 2020, Paul used Facebook Messenger to engage in a series of online conversations with a person who he believed was a 14-year-old child.
However, this “child” was an undercover detective from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
During their online conversations, Paul mentioned his desire to engage in sexual activity with the “child” when they met in person and told the “child” the different ways that he had planned to sexually abuse her, the release said.
Paul also told the “child” to delete her online messages.
Based on the evidence, Paul was arrested Friday. During an interview with investigators, he admitted to “talking to some little girl on the phone,” and stated, “I shouldn’t have … did it.”
“Thanks to the outstanding work by HSI special agents and our partners with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office this online predator was stopped in his tracks while attempting to victimize a young child,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “After a successful prosecution and sentencing, this predator will now be held accountable for his crimes.”
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