A Marion County man has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to an announcement by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. Terry Levi Brown, 36, from Summerfield, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and could receive up to life imprisonment. The sentencing date has not been determined.
Court documents indicate that the Marion County Sheriff’s Office carried out an undercover operation in July 2025 focused on targeting individuals using the internet for child exploitation. On July 27, two detectives posed as a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl online. Brown contacted both accounts and, after learning their stated ages, engaged in sexually explicit conversations with them. He was arrested when he traveled to meet the supposed minors for sexual activity.
The investigation involved the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg is prosecuting the case.
“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. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc,” states the release.
