Federal Jury Convicts Airman for Attempting to Engage in Sex Acts With Purported 14-Year-Old

TAMPA, Fla. — A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa investigation, in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, has led to a federal jury finding a former MacDill Air Force Base airman guilty of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a minor.

Jonathan Howard Kuykendall, 39, of Tampa, was found guilty of one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Kuykendall faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 19.

According to evidence presented at trial, in June 2022, Kuykendall was a member of the U.S. Air Force stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. During that time, Kuykendall began messaging someone named “Ms. Glitter” online. Within the first few messages, Ms. Glitter told Kuykendall that she was 14 years old and lived on the base with her single mother. During the next two weeks, Kuykendall groomed Ms. Glitter, gradually introducing sexual topics to her. He began by talking about cuddling with her and kissing her. From there, he began sending her graphic descriptions of various sex acts that he wished to perform with her and numerous explicit images.

This continued until June 24, 2022, when Kuykendall, thinking Ms. Glitter’s mom was not home, agreed to come to her house on the base. Kuykendall drove to Ms. Glitter’s house, took several male sexual enhancement pills, and approached the home’s backdoor. Kuykendall learned Ms. Glitter was actually an undercover federal agent conducting a proactive Internet Crimes Against Children operation. He was arrested on the scene.

This case was investigated by HSI Tampa, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 340 at MacDill Air Force Base, and the 6th Security Forces Squadron at MacDill AFB. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karyna Valdes and Daniel J. Marcet.

This is another case 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 the U.S. attorneys’ offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.