Jacksonville sexual predator convicted by jury attempting to entice child to make sex abuse videos

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A federal jury has convicted a registered Jacksonville sexual predator for attempting to entice a 14-year-old child to produce sexual abuse videos using a smart phone.

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United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced on Fri., Mar. 24, that a federal jury found Paul Edward Lee Jr., 43, guilty of attempting to persuade a teen to produce and send him pornographic videos and images showing her own sexual abuse.

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In 2011, Lee was convicted of lascivious molestation and exhibition of a 10-year-old child and was required to register as a sexual predator.

Because of the prior convictions, at sentencing Lee faces an enhanced minimum mandatory penalty of 25 years, up to 50 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release.

Read: ‘It’s terrifying:’ Jacksonville teacher facing felony charges for alleged lewd conduct with student

According to evidence and testimony at trial:

In April 2018, an FBI agent in Illinois discovered that a 14-year-old child was having online contact with an adult male in Florida through a smart phone gaming application (app) designed for use by children. The messages sent to the child by the adult male were increasingly graphic and sexually explicit. The FBI was able to identify this individual as Paul Edward Lee, Jr., a registered sexual predator living in a residence in Jacksonville along with eight other registered sex offenders. On April 25, 2018, an undercover FBI agent in Jacksonville, posing as the 14-year-old child, resumed text messaging with Lee.

Due to the graphic nature of Lee’s requests to the agent posing as the child, much of the details can not be posted in this story. However, Lee did request from the agent, which he thought was the child, graphic images and video. He also sent the agent graphic pictures of himself.

When FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at his home on May 2, 2018, Lee damaged his cellphone in an effort to conceal evidence of his criminal activity. Lee was arrested by agents that same day.

His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jul. 10, 2023.

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This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.