Marion County Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempting to Meet Two Minors to Engage in Sexual Activity

Ocala, Florida - Terry Levi Brown (36, Summerfield) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Brown entered a guilty plea to the offense on November 20, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, in July 2025, the Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) conducted an undercover operation aimed at apprehending individuals using the internet to sexually exploit children. On July 27, 2025, two MCSO detectives posed online as a 14-year-old girl and 15-year-old girl. Brown messaged both undercover accounts. After learning he was speaking with minors, Brown engaged in sexually explicit conversations with both undercover accounts. Brown was arrested when he subsequently traveled to a location in Marion County to meet the minors to engage in sexual activity.

This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.