Casselberry Man Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Meet A 13 Year Old Child To Engage In Sexual Activity

Orlando, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Juan Fernandez (37, Casselberry) has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Fernandez faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on February 1, 2024, an undercover agent with Homeland Security Investigations posed online as a 13-year-old girl. Fernandez contacted the undercover agent's account, and after learning the child's age, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation. Fernandez then arranged to meet the "child" at a predetermined location in Orange County to engage in sexual activity. When he arrived at the meeting location, he was arrested by law enforcement.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Orlando Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.

The 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.