JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man was arrested last week after trying to meet a 12-year-old for sex, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said Monday.
Wayne Dale Epps Jr., 35, is charged with using the internet to attempt to entice a child to engage in sexual activity.
Recommended Videos
On Feb. 14, according to court documents, an undercover FBI agent, who was posing online as the family member of a 12-year-old child, was contacted by the user “ksaber2040,” who was later identified as Epps. Federal prosecutors said the same undercover agent previously chatted online with Epps in October.
Over the next several days, according to federal prosecutors, Epps and the undercover agent talked online, and Epps expressed his desire to meet the “child” to engage in sexual activity. During his conversation with the undercover agent, prosecutors said, Epps disclosed details about the sex acts that he wished to perform on the child.
On Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors said, Epps drove to a location in Jacksonville to meet the child for sex and was arrested by FBI agents.
As of Monday, Epps was in federal custody, where he will remain until trial, prosecutors said. If convicted, he faces 10 years to life in prison.