Jhon Astudillo, Attempting to Entice a Minor, Florida 2024

Related Federal Cases

Justin Vancott-Harnish, Exploiting a Minor, St. Cloud FL, 2025 · Florida
Patrick R. Minga, Sex Trafficking of Minor Girls, Cape Coral FL, 2023 · Florida
William Belt, Enticement of a Minor Using Interstate Commerce, Sout… · Florida
Stahlman Guilty of Enticing Minor · North Carolina
Prince George’s Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking Minor · Texas

Table of Contents

Jhon Astudillo Charged with Attempting to Entice a Minor

Ocala, FL – In a shocking case of child enticement, 45-year-old Jhon Astudillo has been charged with attempting to entice a 15-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Astudillo faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.

According to court documents, on July 24, 2024, an undercover detective with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) 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.” He 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 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.

Ocala residents are left to wonder how such a heinous crime can occur in their backyard. As the investigation continues, one thing is clear: Jhon Astudillo is a danger to the community, and justice will be served. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and provide updates as more information becomes available.