JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is heading to federal prison for a decade after he tried to arrange sex with who he believed was a child he met online.
Adeis Francis, 26, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison by the State Attorney’s Office for attempting to entice and meet a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced. Francis was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release following his release and to register as a sex offender.
Between February 17 and March 6, 2026, an FBI undercover agent posed as a 13-year-old child on an online social media app as part of a North Florida operation targeting adults who sought to make contact with and engage in sexual activity with minors.
During that period, the undercover agent exchanged several messages with an app user who went by “Jay.” After the agent told “Jay” the “child” was 13 years old, “Jay” — later identified as Francis — asked if the “child” was “ok talking with him” and requested she send him photos.
On March 5, 2026, Francis asked the “child” if she was a “virgin” and sent a text message that read, “I can show you how to have sex…” He also described, by text, the sexual acts he wanted to perform on the child, according to court documents.
On March 6, 2026, after more text conversations detailing his plans to meet the child in person for sex, Francis went to meet the child. FBI agents arrested him when he arrived.
During an interview following his arrest, Francis told investigators, “I’m not gonna get to go home for months,” and “so I’m going to prison,” according to court documents.
Francis was held in custody from the date of his arrest. He pleaded guilty in May.
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