Georgia Man Indicted For Traveling To Meet A Minor For Sex

Jacksonville, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Troy Lyn Everett (62, Smyrna, Georgia) on an indictment charging him with attempted production of child sex abuse material and attempted online enticement of a minor. If convicted of both offenses, Everett faces a minimum sentence of 25 years, up to life, in federal prison.

According to court records, from August 22 to October 25, 2024, an undercover detective from the Nassau County Sheriff's Office posed as a 14-year-old girl on an online messaging application. During the first few minutes, Everett asked about the child's age, and when he found out she was 14, he asked multiple times for sexually explicit photos of the child. In addition to asking for the photos, he set up a time and place for them to meet for sex. Everett then purchased a bus ticket and traveled from Atlanta to Jacksonville under the belief that he would be meeting the child once in Jacksonville. Upon arrival at the bus station, Everett was arrested by law enforcement. He is currently being held without bail awaiting trial.

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 is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Nassau County Sheriff's Office, and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.

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 the United States Attorney's 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 and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.