A Jacksonville man is headed to federal prison for 14 years after admitting he used his phone and the internet in an attempt to entice an 11-year-old into sexual activity. U.S. District Judge Jordan Emery Pratt handed down the sentence on Tuesday, tacking on a 10-year term of supervised release and ordering the defendant to register as a sex offender.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced that 48-year-old Noel Daniel Simonca was sentenced after pleading guilty on October 28, 2025. The office said Simonca was arrested on January 19, 2025, after he drove to a prearranged meeting spot in the Jacksonville area, where FBI agents were waiting.
Undercover operation and arrest
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says an undercover FBI agent went into a public chat room on a messaging app in December 2024. There, a user with the handle "mdesase" — later identified as Simonca — said he would "love to see [the 11-year-old child]." The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida states that Simonca discussed a supposed "photo shoot," laid out in detail the sexual acts he intended, and then drove to Jacksonville Beach, where FBI agents took him into custody.
Local coverage previously described many of the same explicit messages and noted that Simonca told the undercover agent he was "available to help" teach the child about sex before heading to the planned meet up. Action News Jax reported on the case after the defendant’s guilty plea in November 2025.
Legal notes
Federal law makes it a crime to use any facility of interstate commerce to persuade, induce, or entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. That offense, under 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b), carries a statutory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. The statute and penalties are outlined by the Legal Information Institute, and in this case the judge also imposed supervised release and sex offender registration.
Why this matters locally
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative that teams up national, state, and local agencies to investigate and prosecute online child exploitation. original indictment last year coverage detailed the undercover texts and the planned meeting that ultimately led to Simonca’s arrest.
Simonca remains in federal custody. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. Officials say the 14 year sentence is meant to punish the conduct and send a clear message to would be online predators.
