OCALA — A 36-year-old Summerfield man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice two minors into sexual activity after he was caught in an undercover sting by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.
U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber imposed the sentence on Terry Levi Brown, who entered a guilty plea on November 20, 2025, to one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Brown also faces 15 years of supervised release following his prison term.
The case stemmed from an undercover operation the Marion County Sheriff’s Office conducted in July 2025 targeting individuals using the internet to sexually exploit children. On July 27, 2025, two MCSO detectives posed online as a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl. Brown messaged both undercover accounts and, after learning he was speaking with minors, engaged in sexually explicit conversations with both, according to court documents.
Brown was arrested when he traveled to a location in Marion County to meet the minors to engage in sexual activity.
The case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg prosecuted the case.
The prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims.
Brown’s 15-year term of supervised release will begin upon his release from federal custody.