Stephen Governale, Attempted Sexual Enticement of a Minor, Florida 2013

A former CENTCOM employee has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor to engage in a sexual activity in Orlando, Florida.

Stephen Governale, a 49-year-old resident of Tampa, pleaded guilty to the charge on an unspecified date. According to court documents, Governale was a protocol officer at CENTCOM at the time of his arrest.

On September 11, 2012, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was contacted by the parents of a 17-year-old child who was receiving sexually inappropriate messages from Governale. The child victim explained meeting Governale through an organization affiliated with the military and stated that he had gone with Governale to conferences and had stayed in Governale’s hotel room. The victim also said that they had watched pornographic movies in the hotel room and engaged in sexual activity.

On September 21, 2012, as Governale was planning to travel to Central Florida for business, a Task Force Agent with the FBI assumed the child victim’s on-line identity. The agent began to communicate with Governale using FaceBook. In the FaceBook chats, Governale attempted to entice the child victim to engage in sexual activity. Governale arranged to meet the victim at a location in Central Florida. When Governale arrived, he was arrested by the FBI.

Stephen Governale is facing a mandatory minimum of 10 years, up to life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has been set for June 13, 2013. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

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.

Stephen Governale, a United States Air Force Reserve Lieutenant Colonel, is a defendant in this case. The exact criminal charges against him are Attempted Enticement of a Minor. The city and state where the crime occurred are Orlando, Florida. The exact date of the crime is September 11, 2012. The sentence or outcome in this case is a mandatory minimum of 10 years, up to life in federal prison. The sentencing hearing has been set for June 13, 2013.

This case is a reminder of the importance of protecting our children from harm and the need for continued vigilance in the fight against child sexual exploitation and abuse.

MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS

Sex Crimes

Curtis Ray Pelfrey, Child Pornography, West Virginia 2023

Jun 27, 2022

Sex Crimes

Lawrence Turnbull, Sex Offenses, Virgin Islands 2026

Apr 6, 2026

Sex Crimes

Laun Leroy McCloskey, Abusive Sexual Contact, South Dakota 2013

Jun 22, 2015

Sex Crimes

Osman Edgardo Cubas-Alvarenga, Child Pornography Production, Florida 2025

Jul 14, 2026