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Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Tyler Colton Rock (26, Texas) to 30 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, for coercion/enticement of a minor and transferring obscene material to minors. Rock entered a guilty plea on March 1, 2024.
According to court documents, Rock was 25 years old when he engaged in an online relationship with a 13-year-old in Pinellas County. Rock had the child produce explicit images of herself and sent her various images of his genitalia and videos of him masturbating. In anticipation of traveling to meet the child, Rock texted the child that it was either going to be the best trip ever or he would end up in federal prison, but he was excited. In February 2023, Rock traveled from Texas to Pinellas County to engage in sexual intercourse with the child. He brought with him a bag filled with condoms, morning-after emergency contraception pills, and stuffed animals. Rock provided the child with marijuana prior to engaging in sexual intercourse with her.
“This man knew what he was doing was a federal crime, and yet, continued to prey on the young victim,” said FBI Tampa Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor. “This investigation is another example of the tenacious commitment of our agents and analysts to rescue children from these sexual predators.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.
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 and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.