Jacksonville Navy Sailor Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempting to Exploit a Minor Online

A Navy sailor has been sentenced to ten years in prison for attempting to sexually exploit a minor. Michael Buck Brockway, a 40-year-old from Jacksonville, received a federal prison sentence after being convicted of using the Internet and his cell phone in an attempt to entice a 13-year-old child into sexual activity. Following his prison term, Brockway will spend 10 years on supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

An undercover Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent had posed as the minor child during interactions with Brockway. Following their online exchanges on various social media platforms, Brockway was arrested by detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office when he arrived at the meeting site on July 28, 2023. The discovery of his cell phone contained even more damning evidence: images and videos of child sexual abuse. At the time of his arrest, Brockway was found to have condoms on him and investigators also found personal lubricant, a bottle of vodka and a sex toy in his car, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

This case is part of the broader Project Safe Childhood initiative, launched by the Department of Justice in 2006. The nationwide project aims to address the serious crisis of child exploitation and abuse by coordinating the efforts of various government agencies. Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown led the prosecution and emphasized the commitment to protecting childhood innocence from online predators, as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.