UPDATE: Jeffrey Brian Mobley, a former youth pastor in Stuart, Florida, plead guilty to the production and distribution of child pornography in a Fort Pierce court on Thursday, March 10, 2016.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
Federal authorities arrested a former The Grace Place youth pastor Monday in Ocala on a charge of enticing a minor to engage in a sexual relationship.
Officials say, 24-year-old Jeffrey Brian Mobley, formerly of Stuart, was arrested by a Marion County Sheriff around 8:30 a.m. at 11000 W SR 40.
Mobley appeared before a federal judge Monday during a first appearance, according to court records. He was ordered to be held in custody pending a detention hearing and preliminary examination on October 7.
Officials say, in September 2015, a suspicious conduct report was made to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office concerning the youth pastor and a minor who was under his trust and care through a religious based youth program in Stuart.
According to investigators, Mobley had allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse with two minors in the church’s youth program. He allegedly enticed the minors to engage in sexual activity and exchange sexually explicit images.
If convicted, Mobley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years up to life in prison. If convicted, he also faces up to a lifetime of supervised release and the requirement that he register as a sex offender.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.