OCALA, Fla. – A Florida man, and former Little League baseball coach, has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity following a joint investigation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Joseph Rocco Quaranta, 48, of Dunnellon, faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on July 25, an undercover detective from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office posed online as a 13-year-old girl. Quaranta contacted the undercover detective’s account, and after learning the child’s age, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation. Quaranta then arranged to meet the child at a predetermined location in Marion County to engage in sexual activity. He arrived at the meeting location and was arrested by law enforcement. After his arrest, Quaranta admitted to deputies that he had been volunteering as a local Little League baseball coach.
This case was investigated with the support of the Ocala Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Chiefland Police Department. It is being 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 1-877-4-HSI-TIP; or report it through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.
HSI Tampa area of responsibility, which includes ten geographically strategic offices, covers more than 51,600 square miles of the total 65,757 square miles in the state of Florida. This region has more than 14.2 million people and includes 58 of the 67 counties. HSI Tampa also includes five of the ten largest cities in Florida, 15 primary commercial service airports, and 11 seaports.
Learn more about HSI Tampa’s mission to increase public safety in Florida communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSITampa.