Men Caught in Undercover Operation Against Child Predator Plead Guilty in Macon Federal Court

Two Middle Georgia men admitted to chatting with an undercover officer posing as a minor on a dating app and pleaded guilty in federal court Monday.

Darryl Lockett and Rashon Griggs were charged in April with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor but eventually pleaded guilty to using interstate facilities to transmit contact information for a minor. The new offenses were detailed in updated court documents.

Prosecutors said both men face a maximum prison sentence of five years, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release.

Lockett appeared in court Monday wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffed. Griggs sat in the front row alongside his attorney, Danisha McClary, and his mother.

Prosecutors told the court that the men thought they were communicating with a 13-year-old girl on a dating website. But an undercover agent was running the profile. Despite learning the alleged teen’s age, the two men still expressed a desire to have sex with the minor. They agreed to meet at a Circle K in Warner Robins.

Both men arrived at the Circle K on separate occasions and were arrested by federal agents who were monitoring the store. Lockett remained in custody Monday, but Griggs had previously been released on bail to care for a disabled family member. Prosecutors attempted to have him arrested Monday, but McClary successfully secured his release until custody arrangements for his family member were finalized.

The two men will be sentenced on November 20 in federal court in Macon.

Operation Red Rover led to the arrest of the two men

Lockett and Griggs were arrested during Operation Red Rover, an operation launched by the Department of Homeland Security’s Child Exploitation and Cybercrime Investigation Group. It was also conducted by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, which targeted online child predators. That investigation, led by Warner Robins, resulted in the indictment of six other men for similar crimes.

Naimilkumar Dadawala and Marquaze Williams have already pleaded guilty. The cases of Steven Williams, Dewan Mitchell, Jon Wiltberger and Jose Santiago Longoria-Alvarez are scheduled to go to trial on November 4.