OCALA, Fla. – An Ocala man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to a press release by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
A life term of supervised release will follow the sentence, the release said. Miller entered a guilty plea in September 2024.
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A detective from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office posed as a 15-year-old girl back in July 2024 on an online messaging platform, according to court documents.
45-year-old Rickey Miller contacted the undercover detective’s account asking if she wanted to “hang out.” Miller engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the detective, asking if she would be interested in having “some fun” with Miller and his female friend, court documents stated.
Miller also asked the undercover detective to tell his friend she was 18, stating “I really don’t want her to know your real age.”
When Miller drove to a designated location with his friend to meet with the minor for sex, law enforcement arrested him.
They also found the cell phone Miller used to communicate with the undercover detective in his vehicle.
“We will work tirelessly to hold offenders accountable and ensure that our children are safe from those who seek to exploit them,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti.
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.
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