Tony Leroy Bartley Jr. was arrested by the FBI in August 2025 after attempting to entice a 13-year-old for sex online. The “child” was an undercover agent.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Ponte Vedra Beach pre-k teacher is going to prison after having sexual conversations with and attempting to entice an undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old girl for sex.
37-year-old Tony Leroy Bartley Jr., of Jacksonville, received the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to the crime in January, according to the Department of Justice. In addition, he was ordered to serve a 10-year-term of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.
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The DOJ says that Bartley, under the username “keven,” exchanged messages with an undercover FBI agent on an undisclosed social media platform in July 2025.
When the agent claimed to be a 13-year-old girl, Bartley 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.