Career pedophile sentenced to federal prison for more than 17 years
On July 21 in a Florida courtroom, 37-year-old registered child sex offender Jeremy Wayne Leggett of Jacksonville – who in January pleaded guilty to using the Internet to attempt to entice and meet a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity – was sentenced to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison.
Related, see: Convicted child sex offender busted again trying to entice a child for sex
Prior to this latest conviction, Leggett was already a registered child sex offender, having been previously convicted in Florida back in 2020 of traveling to meet a minor to commit an unlawful sexual offense, and transmitting harmful materials to a minor. Leggett was arrested again on June 19, 2023, for this most recent offense and has been in custody since then.
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Background: On June 16, 2023, an undercover FBI agent (UC) in the Jacksonville area, posing as a child, was working online in a social media app to identify individuals seeking to meet children for sexual activity. The UC engaged in online conversation with an app user “dAddi” who posted a notice in a public chat room that read “Lookingfor [under 18 emoji] wannaspoiladaughter.”
During this online conversation, user “dAddi,” who was identified as Leggett, was advised that the “child” was 13 years old. Leggett asked if the “child” “[l]ike[d] older men,” and sent the “child” a photo of himself. Leggett denied being a murderer or a kidnapper, telling the “child” that he was “just a pedophile.” He suggested that that they meet so he could perform oral sex on “her” in his vehicle. After more conversation, Leggett sent the “child” explicit photos of himself.
On June 17, 18, and 19, 2023, Leggett initiated text messages with the UC and continued attempting to persuade the “child” to meet for sex.
On June 19, 2023, Leggett and the “child” arranged through text messages to meet at a retail shopping center in Jacksonville. That evening, Leggett drove his vehicle to this location to meet the “child” and circled the parking lot. When law enforcement officers attempted to stop Leggett’s vehicle, he quickly reversed his vehicle and fled the scene. A short time later, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and FBI agents located Leggett at a residence in Jacksonville and he was arrested.
The case against Leggett was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
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(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida)
(Jeremy Wayne Leggett, booking photo, Image credit: scribd.com)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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