Suwannee County Man Sentenced To 18 Months In Federal Prison For Failing To Register As Sex Offender

Jacksonville, Florida - United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Denny Junior Jenkins (42, Live Oak) to 18 months in prison for failing to register as sex offender in the state of Florida, after traveling from the state of South Carolina. Jenkins was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release following his prison sentence. He pleaded guilty on March 18, 2013.

According to court documents, on September 4, 1992, Jenkins was convicted in Suwannee County, Florida of two counts of attempted sexual battery upon a child under 12 years of age. Because of these convictions, Jenkins is required to register as a sex offender under Florida law for the remainder of his life. After being released from prison, Jenkins received and executed documents that advised him of these conditions.

Court documents show that, in 2010, Jenkins changed his residence to the state of South Carolina and executed documents that advised, among other things, that if he moved to another state he must register as a sex offender in that state. In April 2012, Jenkins left South Carolina and moved back to Florida and established residence in Suwannee County. According to court documents, after establishing residence in Florida in April 2012, Jenkins was required to register and keep his registration current with the state of Florida under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). He failed to do so. On February 15, 2013, Jenkins was arrested and stated, among other things, that he moved from South Carolina to Florida in April 2012 and acknowledged that he did not register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was 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 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.usdoj.gov/psc for more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."