St. Petersburg man with previous sex offense conviction charged with attempted seduction of minor

A Pinellas County man previously convicted of a child sex offense has been indicted on charges of attempting to entice a minor into sexual activity. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Joshua Andrew Finley, 46, of St. Petersburg, the individual in question, faces serious federal charges after an indictment was filed against him, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Finley, who was convicted in 2009 of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor, now faces a potential life sentence in federal prison, along with a possible life sentence of supervised release. He is being held in custody pending trial, which is scheduled for December 2024. “Using the Internet to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity,” as the indictment reads, “marks an egregious misuse of digital space to commit alleged abuse,” the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Several law enforcement agencies have come together to investigate this case, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Petersburg Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown will lead the prosecution. It is important to remember, however, that despite the seriousness of the charges, an indictment is not a verdict of guilt – this formal charge justifies a trial, where Finley is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The case falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child exploitation and abuse. Since 2006, it has sought to work closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement to identify and prosecute offenders and, just as importantly, to identify and assist victims. For more information about these efforts, the Department of Justice encourages the public to visit its Project Safe Childhood site.