Former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Detective Pleads Guilty to Enticement of a Minor

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville and Northeast Florida Inter-Agency Child Exploitation and Person Trafficking Task Force, or NEFL INTERCEPT Task Force, investigation has led to the guilty plea of a former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) detective to enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.

Josue Garriga III, 34, of St. Augustine, faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and up to life in federal prison and would be required to register as a sex offender. He would also have to serve a term of at least five years under supervised release. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, Garriga, who at the time was a detective with the gang unit of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, met the 17-year-old victim at church in 2023. Garriga pursued a sexual relationship with the child until approximately March 7, 2024. This included reaching up the child victim’s skirt while she worked serving coffee before church service. At some point, Garriga used his JSO-issued cellphone and an undercover Instagram account to reach out to the child victim and obtained her phone number. Garriga then used his personal cellphone to communicate with the child, directing their messages to an end-to-end encrypted app set to automatically delete the messages after 24 hours.

Garriga requested nude photos from the child and sent her nude photos of himself. He also video chatted with her over FaceTime more than 120 times, including when she showered. On one occasion, Garriga requested that the child victim livestream herself masturbating.

On at least two occasions, Garriga used his JSO work vehicle to travel to the child victim’s neighborhood in Clay County to meet with the minor victim and engage in sexual contact that was illegal under Florida law. On another occasion, Garriga met with the child victim at a coffee shop in Clay County and enticed her to his JSO work vehicle, where he engaged in unlawful sexual activity with the child victim and refused to let her leave until she performed oral sex on him.

This case was investigated by the NEFL INTERCEPT Task Force, which includes HSI Jacksonville, the JSO, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Cofer Taylor and Kelly S. Milliron.

The NEFL INTERCEPT Task Force is a unique partnership that takes a collaborative and coordinated approach to work together at all three levels of government, alongside private sector partners, to rescue children from sexual exploitation. The NEFL INTERCEPT is a unique public-private partnership where nonprofit organizations provide financial, technical and other resources to regional law enforcement partners dedicated to the fight against human trafficking and child exploitation. Support from Operation Light Shine and partner donors like the Tim Tebow Foundation allow law enforcement agencies to better serve the Northeast Florida communities and the many victims of human trafficking and child exploitation. The collaborative approach of bringing together the experience and expertise of local, state and federal law enforcement professionals greatly enhances the ability to combat the many difficulties and challenges presented by the complexities of child exploitation and human trafficking investigations.

Members of the NEFL INTERCEPT Task Force consist of members with HSI Jacksonville, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the Duval County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger Handberg and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

For more information about internet safety education, please visit the Department of Homeland Security’s Know2Protect.

To report any information about human trafficking, child sexual abuse or the trafficking in child sexual abuse material contact the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website. To report to law enforcement in the Jacksonville area, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. Callers may remain anonymous.