U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Billie Harold McDuffie, Jr. (37, Winter Haven) to 18 years in federal prison for enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, possession of device making equipment, possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered McDuffie to forfeit a cellphone, two black card encoders, and two desktop computers, which McDuffie used to commit the offenses in this case. McDuffie entered a guilty plea on February 15, 2024.
According to court documents, McDuffie met a 15-year-old child victim online and enticed her to engage in sexually explicit conversations via cellphone and social media. For five months, McDuffie repeatedly engaged in sexual contact with the child victim, even after she confirmed that she was a minor. An online tipster notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation of McDuffie’s sexual misconduct with the child.
On July 21, 2022, a search warrant was executed at McDuffie’s residence, where agents found McDuffie and the child victim. Agents returned the child to her family and arrested McDuffie.
During their search of McDuffie’s residence, agents also found evidence of fraud committed by McDuffie. Evidence included blank check paper, packets of stolen identities, multiple fraudulent debit and credit cards, fraudulent driver licenses, card encoders, and printers.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney D. Richardson-Jones.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 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.
