Indiana Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Charge Of Failure To Register As A Sex Offender

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Ricardo Lamont Irvine (42, Evansville, Indiana) has pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender after traveling from Indiana to Florida.  He faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Irvine was arrested in Jacksonville on September 22, 2015, and has remained in federal custody.  A sentencing date has not yet been set.     

According to the indictment, on or about November 4, 1996, Irvine was convicted of child molestation in Evansville, Indiana. Subsequent to his conviction, and between June 8, 2015, and September 14, 2015, Irvine traveled from Indiana to Florida but failed to register as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Adam Walsh Act provides for the use of federal law enforcement resources, including the United States Marshals Service, to assist state and local authorities in locating and apprehending non-compliant sex offenders.

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another case was 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 the 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.