JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) deputy was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison for enticing a child to engage in sexual activity following a Northeast Florida Inter-agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking (INTERCEPT) Task Force investigation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville.
Josue Garriga, 35, of St. Augustine, aka Sway, is also required to register as a sex offender and serve a term of supervised release of 10 years following his prison term. The court ordered Garriga to forfeit two cellphones used to commit the offense. Garriga entered a guilty plea on July 16, 2024.
“This individual violated his position of trust in the community and sought to take advantage of a child for his own satisfaction,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Hemker. “This conviction stands as a testament to the commitment of HSI and our law enforcement partners with the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, including the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. HSI is committed to identify and bring to justice those who exploit the vulnerability of our children.”
According to court documents, Garriga, who at the time was a detective with the gang unit of the JSO, met the minor victim, who was 17 years old, at church in 2023.
Garriga pursued a sexual relationship with the child victim until approximately March 7, 2024. This included reaching up the victim’s skirt while she worked serving coffee before church service. At some point, Garriga used his JSO-issued cellphone and an undercover social media account to reach out to the victim and obtained her phone number. Garriga then used his personal cellphone to communicate with the victim, directing their messages to an encrypted app set to automatically delete the messages after 24 hours. Garriga requested nude photos from the victim and sent her nude photos of himself.
On at least two occasions, Garriga used his JSO work vehicle to travel to the victim’s neighborhood in Clay County to meet up with her and engage in sexual contact that was illegal under Florida law. On another occasion, Garriga met up with the victim at a coffee shop in Clay County and enticed her to his JSO work vehicle where he engaged in sexual activity with the victim and physically restrained her from leaving the vehicle until she relented and performed a sex act on him.
This case was investigated by the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, to include HSI Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, 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 Northeast Florida 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 task force 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.
The Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force consist of multiple agencies, including HSI Jacksonville, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Attorney with the Middle District of Florida Roger Handberg, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit Department of Homeland Security’s Know2Protect.
To report any information about human trafficking, child sexual abuse, or the trafficking in child sexual abuse material immediately to your local sheriff’s office or the HSI Tip Line at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP.