JACKSONVILLE, FL — Twenty-nine men are facing criminal charges in Northeast Florida after a five-day undercover sting operation targeted individuals attempting to use internet applications to solicit and lure minors for sexual encounters.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) announced the results of Operation Checkmate on Thursday, June 18, 2026. The proactive crackdown, led by JSO’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit, took place over five days beginning in late April and resulted in nearly three dozen suspects being identified, with additional arrest warrants actively outstanding.
Tactical Takedowns by SWAT and Narcotics Units
During the operation, undercover cyber-crimes detectives posed online as young teenagers across various digital platforms. The detectives engaged in text-based conversations with adult users who explicitly solicited the purported minors for sex acts and committed to meeting them face-to-face.
Investigative teams established pre-arranged meeting coordinates at retail and public locations across the Jacksonville metropolitan area. Instead of encountering a minor upon arrival, suspects were immediately intercepted and detained by tactical units, including the JSO Narcotics Unit and the JSO SWAT Team…