Dameon Kerk Allen, Attempted Enticement of a Minor, Florida 2020

Tampa, Florida - A federal jury has convicted a 42-year-old St. Petersburg man of attempting to entice a minor into a sexual activity.

Dameon Kerk Allen, 42, was found guilty of attempted enticement of a child to engage in sexual activity, a charge that carries a minimum mandatory term of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.

The jury delivered their verdict on February 13, 2020, following a trial in which prosecutors presented evidence of Allen's online communications with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old child. However, the person was an undercover agent.

According to the evidence, Allen proposed and planned to meet up with the child to have sex, discussing in graphic detail the sex acts he would engage in when they met.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Petersburg Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Lisa Thelwell and Colin McDonell are prosecuting the case.

The conviction is another success in the nationwide initiative known as Project Safe Childhood, launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. This initiative brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children.

Allen faces sentencing on February 13, 2020. He was indicted on August 20, 2019.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/jury-convicts-florida-man-attempting-entice-minor-engage-sexual-activity