Florida man posing as a tutor arrested for attempting to entice 12-year-old girl for sex

On July 30, United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that 39-year-old Kevin Patrick Wilson of Ponte Vedra, Florida, had been arrested and charged with attempted enticement and coercion of a minor. Wilson was pretending to be a tutor and trying to trick parents into giving him access to a child for his sexual gratification. He was arrested on July 24 and jailed while he awaits trial. 

Background: On July 20, a social media user posted a public message in a Facebook group seeking a tutor for a child. On the day of the post, an individual, posing as a woman, but later identified as Wilson, reached out and directed the poster to contact her “husband,” Wilson, by text message. The poster contacted Wilson and had a short text conversation.

The poster said she was seeking tutoring assistance for an 11-year-old child. Wilson sent a photo of himself and asked for a photo of the child. The text conversation ended shortly thereafter.  The poster later contacted the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office about the interaction.

On July 24, an undercover detective posing as the guardian of a 12-year-old female “child” reached out to Wilson about tutoring services for the “child.”  After the undercover detective initiated the conversation, Wilson began discussing sexual topics involving the “child” and meeting the “child” to perform sexual acts with the “child.”

 Wilson also spoke to undercover detectives portraying the 12-year-old female child via phone and text message. Wilson and the undercover detective portraying the guardian of the “child” ultimately agreed to meet at a predetermined location during the evening of July 24, so that Wilson could engage in sexual acts with the “child.” Wilson traveled to the predetermined meeting location that evening and was arrested.

If convicted, Wilson faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.

Action News Jax Annette Gutierrez searched through the Facebook group where this all started. There are more than a dozen job posts where “Kevin Wilson” commented with his phone number under his wife’s profile. Some of those posts involved a job with kids involved.

Kathy Bargar has been Wilson’s neighbor for a year and a half. She says she never would have suspected this.  “You never know who’s living next door to you, ” Bargar said. “He went to our Catholic church that’s in Nocatee, so I’m surprised.”  ~ Action News Jax

This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington and is another case 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.

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(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida)
(Cover photo, Action News Jax, Facebook)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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