Wakulla County Man Arrested And Charged With Attempting To Entice A Minor To Engage In Sexual Activity

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Richard Lynn Simmons, Jr. (36, Sopchoppy) has been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with using his cellphone and the internet to attempt to entice an 11-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Simmons faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Pursuant to his appearance in federal court on January 9, 2026, Simmons was detained pending further proceedings in this case.  

According to court documents, between November 8, 2025, and January 6, 2026, an FBI agent (UC) in Jacksonville conducted an undercover operation using an online social media application (“app”) to identify adults who were seeking to make online contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this time period, UC was posing as the parent of an underage child. UC and app user “snowwis89” exchanged several private online messages on the app and by text messaging. After UC advised app user “snowwis89” that UC had access to an 11-year-old child, app user “snowwis89” stated that he was into “kinky stuff” and that he liked “young.” When asked if “is 11 too young for u,” app user “snowwis89” responded, “Na it’s not … would she be ok with it?” Later, app user “snowwis89,” who was subsequently identified as Simmons, described by text the specific sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the “child.” After more text messages and several telephone conversations discussing his travel plans and his desire to meet UC and the “child,” on January 6, 2026, Simmons drove from the Tallahassee area to Jacksonville where he was arrested by FBI agents.

A criminal complaint is an allegation that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It is being 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 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 and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.