A Jacksonville man, Jerry Alexander Cobb, has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity using his cellphone and the internet. Cobb, 38, now faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison, along with a possible lifetime term of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2026. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
Court documents reveal that from July 18 to August 1, 2025, an undercover FBI agent in Jacksonville participated in an online operation aimed at identifying adults seeking sexual contact with children. The agent exchanged private messages with someone using the name “Jerry,” who was later identified as Cobb. After being told that the agent was portraying a 13-year-old girl, Cobb wrote: “[w]e can be friends” and repeatedly asked for the location of the “child’s” residence, whether she could “sneak out at night,” and if she was a “virgin.”
On July 30, Cobb suggested meeting at a hotel room and proposed sexual activity there, promising to bring and use a condom. The next day he texted: “[y]es I’m serious that we can [have] sex.” Plans were then made for a meeting in Jacksonville on August 1.
When Cobb arrived at the agreed-upon location intending to meet the purported child for sex, he was arrested by FBI agents.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked alongside the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on this case. Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown is prosecuting.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in 2006 focused on combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to identify offenders and support victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
