JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer facing multiple felonies related to the alleged act of sexually soliciting a child online made an appearance in front of a U.S. Magistrate Judge Monday in Jacksonville's Middle District Court.
Alejandro Carmona, 47, who is charged with using and attempting to use a minor to produce sexually explicit images, entered a plea of not guilty.
Discovery motions in the case are expected to be filed by June 21.
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the return of an indictment against Carmona, charging him with one count of using a minor child to produce sexually explicit images, two counts of attempting to use a minor child to produce sexually explicit images, and one count of attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
For each of the first three counts, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and up to a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. For the fourth count, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and up to a maximum of life in federal prison.
In addition, he faces up to a $1 million fine and a potential life term of supervised release.
Carmona made his initial appearance in federal court last week and was ordered detained pending trial.
According to public records, he is currently employed as an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
According to the indictment, between April 2021 and March 2022, Carmona used a minor to produce or attempt to produce sexually explicit images. The indictment also alleges that in March 2022, he attempted to entice an individual he believed to be a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, that is, to produce sexually explicit images.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.