Man arrested in St. Johns sex sting faces federal charges

32-year-old Gainesville pharmacy tech arrested in Operation End of the Road

St. Johns County Sheriff's Office booking photo of Matthew Caniff

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 32-year-old Gainesville man arrested in a St. Johns County sex sting earlier this week has now been charged by federal authorities with using the Internet to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. Matthew Caniff is due in federal court Friday afternoon, according to U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III.

According to the federal complaint, between March 31 and April 1, Caniff engaged in a series of online text conversations with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old child.

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The 12 men arrested as part of the seven-day Operation End of the Road ranged in age from 21 to 60 years old, Shoar said. The sting took place from March 30 to April 6.

The "child" was an undercover FBI agent. During the course of their conversations, prosecutors said Caniff discussed in graphic detail his desire to meet and have sex at “her” home. He also sent several explicit photos of himself and said he would bring prescription drugs to share.

According to prosecutors, Caniff drove from Gainesville to a home in St. Johns County to meet the “child” for sex. When arrested by deputies from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, authorities said he had a knife and several pills in his possession.

Caniff also faces state charges in Operation End of the Road, a sting of men who traveled expecting to meet underage victims to have sex.

If convicted on the federal charges, Caniff faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years and up to life in prison.