OCALA, Fla. — A Florida man has been indicted with attempted enticement of a minor after arranging to meet with a would-be 13-year-old to engage in sexual activity following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando investigation.
Alexander Thomas Daugherty, 24, of Ocala, faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. Daugherty was arrested on a criminal complaint on Sept. 20. He is currently detained pending the resolution of the criminal case.
According to court documents, on Sept. 20, a special agent with HSI Orlando posed undercover as a 13-year-old girl on an online social media platform. Daugherty contacted the undercover agent’s account and, after learning the purported child’s age, discussed engaging in sexual activity. Daugherty arranged to meet the minor for sex at a predetermined location in Marion County. He then traveled to the location and was arrested by law enforcement.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by HSI Orlando and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
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 report it through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website.