06/18/2026
29 arrested in Pe*****le sting, Operation Checkmate! Here are the names. Do you know them. Shame! Shame! Shame!
News Release
June 18, 2026
29 men and counting are facing criminal charges after they chatted online with who they thought were young teens for s*x. On the other end of the conversations? Undercover detectives who were part of Operation Checkmate.
Over the course of five days beginning in late April, detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit led a large-scale operation targeting those trying to lure children online for s*x. Undercover chatters arranged to meet these suspects at locations across the city. Once a suspect arrived, they were greeted by our Narcotics Unit or our SWAT Team.
The men JSO arrested come from different backgrounds. One managed security at venues across the city, including the stadium and the arena. Another was a youth athletics coach. They are husbands, boyfriends, fathers, and brothers.
Operations like this lower the demand for child exploitation and help keep children safe. The more we do it, the more we bring awareness to the issue. Parents, we can’t stress this enough: be aware of who your child is talking to online. Even when a site is marketed towards children, that doesn’t mean predators like these men aren’t waiting to take advantage of them.
And we’re not done. We have active arrest warrants out for others for their actions during this operation. It’s only a matter of time until we round them up and they, too, face the consequences.
Our detectives work around the clock to put an end to online exploitation.
We’re grateful to our partner agencies for teaming with us and to the nonprofit Operation Lightshine for providing resources to make this happen.
Here’s our list of suspects:
-Billy East, 35
-Clifford Skaggs, 72
-Derrick Wilcox, 22
-Donald Seymore, 42
-Dustin Heffner, 37
-Elias Martinez Guerra, 30
-Giuseppe Gilbert, 23
-Jacob Futch, 29
-Jaime Castellanos Marin, 42
-Jason Gaines, 41
-Javier Isidro Mendez, 31
-Jay Kennedy, 28
-Jean Auguste, 45
-Jeremy Johnson, 33
-John Mullins, 61
-Leon Hicks, 43
-Mark Sullivan, 59
-Mikal Detoro, 44
-Nasib Amin, 23
-Nathan Ramirez, 29
-Quentin Quarterman, 28
-Rodcliff Wilson, 33
-Samuel Pinheiro, 35
-Sean Smith, 48
-Stephen Sheehan, 34
-Terry Rivers, 34
-Zachary Bradley, 25
-Zachary Stitz, 39
If you suspect someone is trying to lure a child online, notify the Cyber Tipline at CyberTipline.org or by calling 1.800.THE.LOST.
