Georgia Man Indicted On Federal Charge Of Using The Internet In Attempting To Entice A Child To Engage In Sexual Activity

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced today the return of an indictment charging Douglas Scott Phillips (51, Richmond Hill, Georgia) with using the internet to attempt to entice a child to engage in sexual activity. Phillips faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Phillips was arrested at his home in Georgia by the United States Marshals Service on February 14, 2019. He will be transported to Jacksonville for further proceedings.    

This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Liberty County (GA) Sheriff’s Office, and the Bryan County (GA) Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It 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. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.