JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CBS12) — A former Florida teacher was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday after he tried to entice a young teen to engage in sexual activity.
Tony Leroy Bartley, Jr., a former pre-kindergarten teacher at a school in Pointe Vedra Beach, was also ordered to serve 10 years under supervised release and register as a sex offender. The United States Attorney’s Office said he pleaded guilty to the crime on January 27, 2026.
Court documents say an FBI agent in Jacksonville was conducting an undercover operation on social media to identify adults seeking to meet and engage in sex with children. On July 25, 26 and 29, 2025, Bartley, using the alias “Keven,” was identified as an app user who exchanged multiple private messages on the app and via text with the undercover agent.
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After the undercover agent told Bartley that the “child” was 13 years old, he suggested that they engage in sexual activity. Court documents say Bartley gave graphic descriptions of the sexual acts he wanted to do on the child. He also sent a photo of himself to the child, court documents say.
On August 25, 2025, Bartley was arrested by FBI agents. While being interviewed by agents, Bartley admitted he had recently communicated online with a girl who was “underage” and that he had discussed having sex with the child, also adding, “I’m going to go away for a long time.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.