MIAMI – A St. Augustine man pleaded guilty to attempted sex trafficking of a child after agreeing to pay $120 to have sex with someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl and traveling to Palm Beach County to meet with her.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Shannon Jermaine Hollingsworth, 45, of St. Augustine, arranged to pay $120 to have sex with a person he believed was 15 years old. He then traveled to the agreed-upon location, where he arrived carrying cash and a condom.
Following his arrest, Hollingsworth claimed that he had traveled to the location to rescue the child and was “just about to call” the police.
“Shannon Jermaine Hollingsworth came to Palm Beach County with cash and a condom, intending to pay for sex with someone he believed was a 15-year-old child,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “When confronted, he claimed he was there to rescue her. But that claim could not withstand the evidence presented by our prosecutors, and on the second day of trial, he pleaded guilty. We will continue working shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement partners to protect children and bring those who seek to exploit them to justice.”
Hollingsworth faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.
HSI Miami and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case, with assistance from the West Palm Beach Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Chapman and Daniel Funk are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc .
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 26-cr-80031.
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Southern District of Florida — U.S. Department of Justice press release.