A 63-year-old man who founded a Central Florida special needs program has been sentenced to life in federal prison for sexually abusing an autistic minor.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza sentenced James Bernard Grover to life behind bars for the coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
A federal jury previously found Grover guilty of the charge in late February 2026. He had initially been arrested in September 2024.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Grover was the founder and executive director of the Special Needs Advocacy Program (SNAP), a Sanford-based nonprofit organization. The organization’s website stated that it provided opportunities to special needs communities that were not always funded through local, state, and federal programs.
Through his work with SNAP, Grover met the autistic minor and provided the child with counseling and therapy. Prosecutors stated that Grover then “coerced and enticed the minor victim to engage in sexual activity.”
The FBI believes that Grover began targeting young boys in 2010 while working at SNAP. During that time, Grover also served as the group director of Autism on the Seas, an international organization that provides cruise vacation services to accommodate adults and families living with autism, Down syndrome, and other related disabilities.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, and Sanford Police Department.
Federal officials noted that the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative designed to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.