A St. Augustine business owner, Jack Dymond Leach, 43, has pleaded guilty to attempting to exploit a minor for producing sexual abuse material. Leach admitted to working with child traffickers in the Philippines to obtain explicit images and videos of children. He faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison, with the possibility of supervised release up to life. Sentencing is scheduled for January 20, 2026, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) traced Leach’s interactions through a telecommunications application, uncovering over a thousand messages and dozens of media files exchanged with traffickers. Leach made a payment of about $160 to receive explicit material involving a minor.
Federal search warrants executed earlier this year at Leach’s home and business recovered multiple electronic devices containing sexual abuse material of prepubescent children. The investigation involved HSI, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to identify and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children.
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