JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jerry Alexander Cobb, 38, of Jacksonville, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity, after he pleaded guilty Feb. 20, 2026.
The sentencing follows an undercover operation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville between July 18 and Aug. 1, 2025. During this operation, an FBI agent posed as a 13-year-old on a social media application, leading to private message exchanges with Cobb.
After the agent advised Cobb that the purported “child” was 13 years old, Cobb asked for the “child’s” residence, if “she” could “sneak out at night,” and if “she” was a “virgin.”
On July 30, 2025, Cobb suggested that he and the “child” meet for sex, promising to use a condom. The next day, Cobb texted the agent, “Yes, I’m serious that we can have sex.”
On Aug. 1, 2025, Cobb made specific plans with the agent to meet later that day at a location in Jacksonville. He took a car service from his apartment to this location, where FBI agents arrested him.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
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