Ocala Man Charged with Attempting to Entice a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity
Ocala, FL – Jhon Astudillo, a 45-year-old resident of Ocala, Florida, has been indicted for attempting to entice a 15-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. According to the indictment, Astudillo faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison if convicted.
On July 24, 2024, an undercover detective with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office posed as a 15-year-old girl on an online messaging application. Astudillo contacted the undercover detective’s account, and after learning the fictitious minor was 15 years old, Astudillo responded, ‘I like young girls like you.’ Astudillo then sent multiple sexually explicit messages to the ‘child.’
Astudillo told her that he likes young girls because they are ‘perverted; he described what he has done sexually with girls her age; he inquired about what she has done sexually with older men; and he asked to see her breasts so he could ‘rate’ them. Astudillo arranged to meet the ‘child’ that night at a predetermined location in Marion County. When Astudillo arrived at the location, he was arrested by law enforcement.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.
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.
Related Federal Cases
- Eric James Templeton, Attempting to Entice a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity, Florida 2021 · Arkansas
- Chad Allen Pease, Attempting to Entice a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity, Florida 2024 · Wisconsin
- Matthew Bryan Caniff, Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor, Florida 2024 · Arkansas
- Windell Holton, Attempted Enticement of a Minor, FL 2016 · Alabama
- Nicholaus Tripp, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, South Dakota 2018 · South Dakota
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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