Morriston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Exploitation Crimes

Gainesville, Florida - Bryan Cardozo-Mendieta, 21, of Morriston, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "I am proud that my office was able to successfully prosecute this sick individual for these heinous crimes, and we remain committed to aggressively pursuing predators like him to ensure our kids are kept safe from sexual exploitation and victimization."

Court documents reflect that on November 17, 2025, the defendant was communicating with an individual he believed to be a minor. The defendant travelled from Levy County to Kissimmee, Florida, with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with the child. On or about November 8, 2025, the defendant also inappropriately touched a different child. When the defendant was arrested for these offenses, his cell phone contained over 500 images of child sexual abuse material.

Cardozo faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years' imprisonment, and up to a maximum of life imprisonment.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations and the Levy County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner is prosecuting the case.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 26, 2027, at 10:30 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.