A 34-year-old illegal alien is the latest arrest in Operation Checkmate, a multi-day operation targeting those using the Internet to solicit children for sex.
Jose Malagon used an online site to chat with two different people who he thought were teenage girls and solicited them for sex. Instead, on the other end of the conversations were our detectives. Malagon initially agreed to meet the "teen" but did not travel.
This doesn’t mean he didn’t commit a crime. Our detectives continued to work and received a warrant for his arrest a few weeks after the operation ended. On Thursday, June 25, 2026, the U.S. Marshals Task Force found Malagon in Neptune Beach. Malagon initially violently resisted his arrest, but officers were able to take him into custody.
Malagon has been arrested before, and he is an illegal alien from Mexico.
With Malagon’s arrest, it
brings the total to 30 men arrested as a result of the operation. Five other men arrested are in the country illegally. Three of the men had been arrested for similar crimes in the past.
There are outstanding warrants for other predators identified during the
operation. Plus, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) Internet Crimes Against Children Unit detectives work around the clock to stop anyone exploiting children.
Anyone who suspects someone is trying to lure a child online is asked to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling
1.800.THE.LOST.
To view the post regarding this arrest on JSO's social media platforms, please click on one of the following links:
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