United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that 48-year-old Joseph Rocco Quaranta of Dunnellon, FL, has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Quaranta faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on July 25, 2024, an undercover detective from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office posed online as a 13-year-old girl. Quaranta contacted the undercover detective’s account and, after learning the child’s age, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation. Quaranta then arranged to meet the child at a predetermined location in Marion County to engage in sexual activity. He arrived at the meeting location and was arrested by law enforcement. After his arrest, Quaranta admitted to deputies that he had been volunteering as a local Little League baseball coach.
This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Chiefland Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
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