A former pre-kindergarten teacher has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for using the internet to attempt to entice a child to engage in sexual activity, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
Tony Bartley Jr., 38, of Jacksonville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jordan E. Pratt. In addition to his prison term, Bartley was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty on Jan. 27, 2026.
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At the time of his arrest, Bartley was working as a pre-kindergarten teacher at a school in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Undercover operation leads to arrest
An FBI agent working undercover in Jacksonville initiated the investigation through an online operation on a social media application designed to identify adults seeking to meet and engage in sexual activity with children.
On July 25, 26 and 29, 2025, the undercover agent and an app user identified as “keven” — later identified as Bartley — exchanged several private messages on the app and through text messaging. After the agent indicated the “child” was 13 years old, Bartley suggested they engage in sexual activity, provided graphic descriptions of sexual acts and sent an explicit photo of himself to the purported child, according to court documents.
Bartley was arrested by FBI agents on Aug. 5, 2025.
During a post-arrest interview, Bartley admitted he had recently communicated online with a girl he knew was underage and discussed having sex with her.
“I should have stopped at 13 [years old], and that’s on me,” Bartley told agents, according to court documents.
He also admitted to sending the explicit photo, telling agents, “I’m going away for a long time.”
Part of nationwide effort to protect children
The case was investigated by the FBI and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Rodney Brown prosecuted the case.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue and seek justice for victims. More information is available at justice.gov/psc.