A North Carolina man has been sentenced to a decade in prison for attempting to entice a minor, as announced by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.
Jonathan Allen Norris, aged 45, from Carolina Beach, North Carolina, received his sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco. Norris will serve 120 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor in October 2024. He is also required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
The plea agreement revealed that in December 2022, an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old girl responded to an advertisement posted by Norris on social media. On January 6, 2023, Norris traveled from New Mexico to Birmingham with the intent of engaging in sexual activity with a minor.
Authorities urge anyone suspecting or aware of child sexual exploitation to contact law enforcement immediately. Reports can be made to the FBI Birmingham Office at 205-326-6166 or through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) online at www.cybertipline.org.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project involves collaboration between federal, state, and local resources to apprehend offenders exploiting children via the Internet and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI alongside the Homewood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.