Tallahassee Man Sentenced for Attempting To Entice a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity

Tallahassee, Florida - Raymond Lewis Shiver, 36, of Crawfordville, Florida, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, after being found guilty by a federal jury of attempting to entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "Our excellent state and federal law enforcement partners are relentless in their efforts to keep our kids safe by catching predators, like this defendant, before they can succeed in sexually exploiting and victimizing children online. My office remains fully committed to aggressively prosecuting those sick individuals and ensuring they are kept locked away behind federal bars for as long as possible."

Trial testimony demonstrated that in April 2025, federal, state, and local law enforcement conducted an undercover online chat operation to identify individuals using the internet to sexually exploit children. During the operation, several fictitious ads were posted by law enforcement on websites commonly used for prostitution, and the defendant responded to one of the ads. In his text messaging with an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing as a 15-year-old child, the defendant expressed interest in engaging in sexual activity with the child in exchange for money. The defendant then traveled to meet the child and was arrested by law enforcement. A search of the defendant's phone confirmed that he was the person communicating with the undercover officer through text messaging and phone calls.

"Cases like this show why proactive investigations and strong partnerships are essential," said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. "Behind this operation were investigators who worked carefully and deliberately to identify dangerous behavior before a child could become a victim. We are proud to work alongside our local and federal partners to protect children and hold offenders accountable."

"Predators who use the internet to target and sexually exploit children will face the full force of the law," said Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Acting Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. "Those who believe anonymity online, a screen, or a cellphone will shield them from accountability are sorely mistaken. This result was not achieved by one agency acting alone. HSI stands shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement partners, united in our mission to protect our communities. When criminals threaten public safety, our partnerships close the gaps predators seek to exploit and expose every place they attempt to hide."

The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department, Leon County Sheriff's Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph A. Ravelo.

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 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 for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.