Jacksonville Convicted Sex Offender Indicted For Committing Multiple Child Sexual Exploitation Offenses

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Kevin John Merritt (61, Jacksonville) with the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse materials. If convicted, Merritt faces a minimum mandatory 25 years, and up to 110 years, in federal prison. Merritt is a registered sex offender. In 2011, he was convicted in federal court in Jacksonville of possessing child sexual abuse materials. Merritt was arrested on March 16, 2023, and has been in custody since that time.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.