A 36-year-old Tampa man, Demetrius Reddick, was recently sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempted coercion or enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger also ordered Reddick to serve a 15-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, Reddick spent approximately two months communicating with an undercover Orlando Police Special Victim’s Unit Detective, who was posing as a 13-year-old girl, over a social media platform. During these conversations, Reddick engaged the fictious child in sexual conversations, and ultimately traveled to a hotel in Orlando to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual activities with the child.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shannon Laurie.
This case was 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.
Reddick had pleaded guilty on September 13, 2022.
