HIV-positive Jacksonville man pleads guilty to sexually abusing 11-year-old

Jacksonville, FLa. — Columbus Donavan Jeffrey, 43, of Jacksonville has pleaded guilty to two counts of producing images depicting himself as he sexually abused a child.

Jeffrey faces an aggregate mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, and up to 60 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Jeffrey was arrested on October 3, 2019, and remains in custody. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

According to court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received information from a company that hosts an online social messaging app after a user, named “hideme1977,” later identified as Jeffrey, uploaded several pornographic images to the platform.

These photos were taken by Jeffrey showing him sexually abusing an 11-year-old child.

On October 3, 2019, detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and other officers executed a search warrant at Jeffrey’s residence.

Action News Jax reported in 2019 that his original arrest report stated he was charged with sexual intercourse without disclosure of HIV, possession of child pornography, sexual performance by a child, sexual battery of a victim over 12 but under 18 and other charges.

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Jeffrey admitted to investigators that he had used the “hideme1977” username on the app. He also identified himself and the child as depicted in one of the photos that Jeffrey had uploaded.

The child later told detectives they had been sexually abused by Jeffery on at least three separate occasions and had taken pictures of this sexual abuse during two of these incidents.

A forensic examination of Jeffrey’s cellphone revealed that it contained 635 images and 57 videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors, including other photos taken by Jeffrey in which he is shown sexually abusing the same child on several occasions in Jeffrey’s residence.

Jeffrey was an employee with UF Health hospital at the time of his arrest.

According to Jeffrey’s Facebook page, he worked in the Psychiatry Department at UF Health.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc

Cox Media Group