JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jerry Cobb, 38, of Jacksonville, pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity using a cellphone and the internet. Cobb faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison following an undercover operation by the FBI.
United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the guilty plea, which stems from a multi-week investigation conducted in the summer of 2025. The undercover operation targeted individuals using social media applications to solicit children for sexual activity in the Jacksonville area.
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According to court documents, an undercover FBI agent used a social media app to identify adults seeking sexual contact with children. Between July 18 and August 1, the agent communicated with a user named “Jerry,” who was later identified as Cobb. The two exchanged several private messages on the application.
After the agent informed Cobb that the “child” was 13 years old, Cobb asked for a residence location and inquired if the “child” was a virgin and could “sneak out at night.”
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On July 30, Cobb suggested a meeting. “You want to just get a hotel room?” Cobb texted the agent. During the exchange, Cobb proposed engaging in sexual activity at a hotel. On July 31, he sent another message confirming his intent, stating, “Yes I’m serious that we can [have] sex.”
The following day, Cobb traveled to the designated meeting location that evening, where he expected to meet the 13-year-old.
FBI agents arrested Cobb immediately upon his arrival. The investigation was a joint effort between the FBI, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
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The case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. The program coordinates federal, state and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals who exploit children.
Cobb faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison, as well as a potential lifetime term of supervised release.
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