Clayton Lee Harris, a 22-year-old resident of Ocklawaha, Florida, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor into sexual activity. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber after Harris pleaded guilty on November 13, 2025.
Court records show that on July 26, 2025, an undercover officer posed as a 14-year-old girl on an online dating platform. Harris initiated contact with the officer and continued communication after learning the purported age of the minor. He then arranged to meet for a sexual encounter and was arrested upon arrival at the meeting location.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe stated: “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.”
More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
