Ocala, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Scott Alan Colson (59, Ocala) on an indictment charging him with attempted enticement of a minor. If convicted, Colson faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A federal grand jury indicted Colson on August 6, 2024. His case is set for trial in October 2024 before U.S. District Judge Thomas Patrick Barber.

According to court records, on July 24, 2024, a Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) undercover detective posed as a 15-year-old girl on an online messaging application. Colson contacted the undercover detective's account and inquired as to whether the fictional minor had ever been with older men and asked to meet her. He told her, "You keep secrets if we meet up." Colson then engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the undercover detective. During the conversation, Colson asked the fictional minor to "make it easy to get down ur pantys." The following day, they agreed to meet at a predetermined location in Marion County. When Colson drove to the location, he was arrested by law enforcement. An examination of Colson's cellphone revealed child sexual exploitation materials.

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 and the Marion County Sheriff's Office. This case is being prosecuted by Hannah Nowalk.

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.