Jacksonville Convicted Child Sex Offender Sentenced To 50 Years For Producing Videos And Photos Depicting Sexual Abuse Of A Child

Jacksonville, Florida – Chief United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Kevin John Merritt (63, Jacksonville) to 50 years in federal prison for coercing and using a minor child to produce videos and photos that depicted the child being sexually abused. Merritt was arrested on March 16, 2023, and has been in custody since that time. He pleaded guilty on November 7, 2024. Merritt is a registered child sex offender following his 2011 federal conviction for possessing videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

According to court documents, this investigation began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a “CyberTipline Report” from the company that owns Facebook. This report advised that files depicting child sexual abuse materials had been sent through Facebook Messenger on September 14, 2022, by user “Jackie Frost” to another Facebook user in Jacksonville. This report was forwarded to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO). Subsequent investigation by JSO identified Merritt as “Jackie Frost.” At the time, Merritt was serving a 30-year term of supervised release as part of his prior child sex conviction.

On March 16, 2023, JSO detectives and other personnel executed a search warrant at Merritt’s residence. Merritt was at the home and was arrested. Several electronic devices were seized, including a cellphone belonging to Merritt. Subsequent review of the cellphone revealed an email account that was linked to the “Jackie Frost” Facebook account as well as other items attributable to Merritt. The device also contained numerous photos and videos depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of an identified minor child that were produced by Merritt using his cellphone. Merritt’s hand is visible in two of the videos. 

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys D. Rodney Brown and Elisibeth Adams.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.