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Florida man convicted of traveling to meet child for sex arrested for same thing 2 months after prison release: DOJ

FILE - The seal for the United States Department of Justice is displayed on a podium before a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Thursday, April 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) (Evan Vucci, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man, who was released from prison on child sex charges in 2023, took just two months to land back in custody for the same thing, according to court documents.

Jeremy Wayne Leggett, 36, is a registered sex offender after being convicted of traveling to meet a child for sex in 2020. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced Leggett has been indicted -- for trying to meet a child for sex.

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He faces at least 10 years in prison, up to life and a potential life term of supervised release.

According to prosecutors, Leggett was convicted in Florida in 2020 of traveling to meet a child for sex and sending “harmful materials” to a child. He was charged with failing to comply with his sex offender registry in August 2021.

Department of Corrections records show Leggett was released from custody in April 2023.

According to the FBI, two months later, Leggett was trolling for teens again. Using the profile name “dAddi,” he posted a message saying, “Looking for (under 18 emoji), wanna spoil a daughter,” prosecutors said.

Leggett didn’t know, though, that the “13-year-old” he was messaging was actually an undercover agent, according to court documents.

Leggett asked the “teen” if they liked older men, sent the “girl” an explicit photo of himself and, at some point, asked the “teen” if they could meet in person for sex, prosecutors said.

Leggett continued the conversation for three days, finally persuading the “child” to meet in person on June 19, 2023, investigators said.

But they said when he drove up and saw law enforcement, he sped away from the scene. He was found at a home in Jacksonville not long after and arrested.


About the Author

Jenn Samsel joined WJXT in September 2024 as a Content Gather. She has a passion for writing, reporting and is a weather/Hurricane enthusiast. She is excited to be part of News 4 Jax team. She graduated from the A.I Ft. Lauderdale with a BS in Graphic Design.

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