Suwannee County Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges of Failure To Register As Sex Offender

Jacksonville, Florida - United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces today that Denny Junior Jenkins (41, Live Oak) has pleaded guilty to failing to register as sex offender in Florida after traveling from South Carolina. Jenkins faces up to 10 years in federal prison, and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Jenkins has been in custody since February 15, 2013. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on September 4, 1992, Jenkins was convicted in Suwannee County, Florida of two counts of attempted sexual battery upon a child under 12 years of age. Because of these convictions, Jenkins is required to register as a sex offender under Florida law for the remainder of his life. After being released from prison, Jenkins received and executed documents that advised him of this requirement.

According to court documents, in 2010, Jenkins moved to South Carolina and executed documents that advised, among other things, that if he moved to another state he must register as a sex offender in that state. In April 2012, Jenkins moved back to Florida and established residence in Suwannee County. He failed to register with the State of Florida under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). On February 15, 2013, he was arrested by deputies from the U.S. Marshals Service.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Adam Walsh Act also provides for the use of federal law enforcement resources, including the U.S. Marshals Service, to assist the states in locating and apprehending non-compliant sex offenders. This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It 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.usdoj.gov/psc for more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."