Fake tutor tries to meet child for sex acts, feds say. Florida cops were waiting
Now, Kevin Patrick Wilson, 39, of Ponte Vedra, will spend the next decade in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.
His court-appointed defense attorney did not immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment July 15.
Wilson was arrested by St. Johns County sheriff's deputies the evening of July 24, 2024, after prosecutors said he had been communicating with someone he believed was the guardian of the 12-year-old girl.
It was actually an undercover detective pretending to be the caregiver for the child, who was a decoy, according to prosecutors.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and the FBI began investigating Wilson in response to a tip from a woman that came in four days before his arrest, according to prosecutors.
On July 20, 2024, Wilson responded to a Facebook post shared by the woman in a 'St. Augustine Jobs' group, court documents say.
In her post, the woman wrote she was looking for a math and writing tutor for a child in sixth grade, court documents say.
Wilson commented under her post, but pretended to be his wife and wrote, 'Hi please text my husband Kevin on his cell phone number…,' according to prosecutors.
When the woman texted the phone number Wilson provided, she told Wilson she needed a tutor for an 11-year-old, prosecutors wrote in court filings.
Then, Wilson 'sent a photo of himself and asked for a photo of the child,' prosecutors said.
The woman stopped texting Wilson afterward and informed the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office of their conversation, according to prosecutors.
The sheriff's office set up a sting operation that involved an undercover detective texting Wilson a few days later, pretending to be the guardian of a 12-year-old girl, prosecutors said.
After the detective asked Wilson about tutoring services for the fake child, Wilson 'began discussing sexual topics involving the purported 12-year-old,' court documents say.
Wilson talked about 'meeting the 'child' to perform sexual acts,' prosecutors said.
At certain points, Wilson was under the impression that he was texting and speaking with the girl directly, but he was communicating with additional undercover detectives instead, according to prosecutors.
Wilson then tried luring the 12-year-old girl into sex acts by arranging a meeting with the detective posing as her guardian on July 24, 2024, prosecutors said.
'Wilson traveled to the predetermined meeting location and was arrested,' prosecutors said.
On March 12, Wilson pleaded guilty to attempted enticement and coercion of a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on July 10, court records show.
Days after his arrest, Wilson's neighbor, Kathy Bargar, told Action News Jax that she was shocked to learn he was taken into custody, she told Action News Jax.
'You never know who's living next door to you,' Bargar said in an interview with the TV station.
'It's devastating, I can't believe it,' she added.
Concerns or suspicions about child sexual exploitation can be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline online or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
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