Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon sentenced 30-year-old Jean Roussel Eloi of Palm Bay to 30 years in federal prison for internet solicitation of a minor on Monday. (BCSO Image)
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon sentenced 30-year-old Jean Roussel Eloi of Palm Bay to 30 years in federal prison for internet solicitation of a minor on Monday.
The sentencing followed a federal trial conviction that occurred on February 3, 2015.
According to the testimony presented at trial, on July 20, 2014, Eloi began an online chat session with an 11-year-old who lived in Palm Bay.
The next day, the child reported the chats to her mother who notified law enforcement.
A Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Agent began engaging in a series of chats with Eloi, who explicitly detailed the sexual acts he wanted to perform with the child and asked to meet.
When he arrived at the meeting location, the Sheriff’s Office arrested him. According to evidence presented during the sentencing hearing, in 2006, Eloi admitted to and was charged with having sex with a 13-year-old in Palm Beach County.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey
“I applaud this partnership and the agencies involved who stand between our most defenseless citizens and those who wish to harm them. Through their outstanding efforts, an individual who actively participated in the exploitation of our children has been removed from our communities,”said Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
This case was investigated by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Palm Bay Police Department.
“This sentencing emphasizes that child exploitation is one of the most heinous crimes we investigate,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to protect our children.”
This case was 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.
