Tampa Man Charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor
Tampa, Florida – A shocking indictment has been returned against Johan Smith Pavon Mejia, a 41-year-old Tampa resident, charging him with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
According to the indictment and court records, in April 2025, Mejia communicated online with an undercover detective with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and arranged to meet a fictitious minor to engage in sexual activity. Mejia traveled to an agreed upon location to meet the fictitious minor and arrived with items requested by the undercover detective, including candy, iced tea, and money to pay for the arranged sexual acts.
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 FBI Tampa and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.
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.
Mejia faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison if convicted.
Related Federal Cases
- 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
- Frederick M Pohl Jr, Attempted Child Enticement, Florida 2019 · Alaska
- Thomas Hill, Enticement of a Minor and Production of Child Pornography, Florida 2020 · Virginia
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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