Fort Myers, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Javier Chavez (34, Sarasota) today pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor. Chavez faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

According to court documents, on May 15 and 16, 2024, Chavez communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing as both the mother of a 14-year-old girl and her 14-year-old daughter. After learning of the girl's age, Chavez engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the girl and sent her explicit videos of himself. Chavez was apprehended by the Lee County Sheriff's Office when he arrived at a home in Lee County with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with the girl. Chavez later admitted to deputies that his intentions with the girl were sexual.

This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.

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