The Department of Justice says that the man faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.
The man, Tony Leroy Bartley Jr., 37, faces the possibility of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and the potential for lifetime supervised release.
From June 17 to July 30, 2025, the DOJ says that Bartley and an undercover FBI agent exchanged messages on an undisclosed social media platform. Bartley is said to have been under the username ‘keven.”
When the agent claimed to be a 13-year-old girl, Bartley allegedly said to have suggested that they text sexually.
Through the exchanged messages, the DOJ said Bartley described “sexual acts he wanted to perform” and sent an explicit photo.
According to the DOJ, Bartley was arrested by FBI agents on Aug. 5, 2025. During an interview, Bartley is said to have confirmed that he had exchanged messages having to do with sexual activity with someone underage.
“I should have stopped at 13, and that’s on me,” Bartley said.
Bartley’s scheduling hearing is set for April 21, 2026.