Ocala Man Sentenced To 15 Years In Federal Prison For Attempted Enticement Of A Minor To Engage In Sexual Activity

Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Scott Alan Colson (60, Ocala) to 15 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Following the prison term, Colson must serve a lifetime of supervised release. He entered a guilty plea on February 6, 2025. 

According to court records, on July 24, 2024, an undercover detective from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office posed as a 15-year-old girl on an online messaging application. Colson contacted the undercover detective’s account, inquired as to whether the fictional minor had ever “been with older men” and asked to meet her. Colson added, “You keep secrets if we meet up.” Colson then engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the undercover detective. Colson arranged to meet the “minor” at a predetermined location in Marion County where he was arrested by law enforcement. When interviewed by law enforcement, Colson admitted to engaging in the sexually explicit conversation and then traveling to meet the fictional minor to engage in sexual activity. An examination of Colson’s cellphone revealed other child sexual exploitation materials. 

“The attempt to entice and meet a minor for sexual activity is a reprehensible crime that strikes at the heart of our community’s safety and moral foundation,” said Homeland Security Investigation Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti. “HSI and our law enforcement partners remain unwavering in our commitment to protect our children from these kinds of predators. The safety and security of our youth is non-negotiable, we will protect them at all costs.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

This 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 Attorney’s 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.