Panama City Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Entice a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity

The U.S. Department of Justice reports in its press release (quotation, not an independent finding): “Tallahassee, Florida – Michael Ray Pennington, 60, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after being found guilty by a federal jury of attempted enticement of a minor. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the excellent investigative work of our state and federal law enforcement partners, my office was able to secure a federal conviction and substantial prison sentence for this defendant. Keeping our kids safe from sexual predators, both online and in our communities, remains a top priority for my office, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to achieve that goal.” Court documents and trial testimony revealed that in November 2025, federal and local law enforcement conducted an undercover operation to identify and apprehend offenders who use the internet to sexually exploit children. During the operation, an undercover law enforcement officer posted a fictitious advertisement on a website commonly used for prostitution. The defendant responded to the ad and was informed by the undercover agent that he was speaking to a 15-year-old child. The defendant then expressed an interest in engaging in sexual activity with the child in exchange for money. Upon arrival at an arranged meeting location, the defendant was arrested. A search of the defendant’s phone confirmed that he was the person communicating with the undercover agent through both text messaging and phone calls. “Those who seek to exploit children will find no re”