United States of America v. Jerry Braddy

Peoria, Illinois criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with

Tiptonville, Tennessee, Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Jerry Braddy, 45, from Tiptonville, Tennessee was indicted for attempted enticement of a minor.



The government established that between June 2, 2024, and June 12, 2024, Braddy communicated via an online platform with an individual he believed to be the stepfather of a nine-year-old child. Braddy agreed to meet the child and stepfather in Bloomington, Illinois, in order to engage in a sexual encounter with the minor. Federal law enforcement agents, with assistance from the McLean County Sherriff's Office, arrested Braddy when he arrived at the location.



Braddy was charged by criminal complaint in June 2024 and indicted five days later. Braddy pleaded guilty in August 2024. He has remained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his arrest.



The statutory penalties for attempted enticement of a minor are a minimum of ten years to life imprisonment, followed by a minimum of five years to a maximum life term of supervised release.



The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution.



The case against Braddy was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov



Updated February 11, 2025

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