A federal grand jury has indicted James Gregory Ford, 34, of Port Charlotte, on charges of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and transferring obscene material to a minor. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
According to the indictment and court records, Ford allegedly communicated with a 10-year-old child through a social media application in October 2025. He is accused of engaging in sexually explicit conversations with the child, requesting sexual images and videos, and sending a nude image of himself.
If convicted on all counts, Ford faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, with the possibility of up to life imprisonment.
Authorities emphasized that an indictment is only a formal charge. “An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty,” according to the statement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava will prosecute the case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The program brings together federal, state, and local resources to identify offenders who exploit children as well as to rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
