Federal Jury Convicts Airman For Attempting To Engage In Sex Acts With Purported 14 Year Old On MacDill Air Force Base

Tampa, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Jonathan Howard Kuykendall (39, Tampa) guilty of one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Kuykendall faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing is scheduled for September 19, 2024.

According to evidence presented at trial, in June 2022, Kuykendall was a member of the U.S. Air Force stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. During that time, Kuykendall began messaging someone named "Ms. Glitter" online. Within the first few messages, Ms. Glitter told Kuykendall that she was 14 years old and lived on the base with her single mother. During the next two weeks, Kuykendall groomed Ms. Glitter, gradually introducing sexual topics to her. He began by talking about cuddling with her and kissing her. From there, he began sending her graphic descriptions of various sex acts that he wished to perform with her as well as numerous adult pornography images.

All of this continued until June 24, 2022, when Kuykendall, thinking Ms. Glitter's mom was not home, agreed to come to her house on MacDill Air Force Base. Kuykendall drove to Ms. Glitter's house, took several male sexual enhancement pills, and approached the home's backdoor. Kuykendall learned Ms. Glitter was actually an undercover federal agent conducting a proactive Internet Crimes Against Children operation. He was arrested on scene.

This case was investigated by the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 340 at MacDill Air Force Base, the 6th Security Forces Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, and Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Karyna Valdes and Daniel J. Marcet.

This is another case 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 Attorneys' 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.