A St. Johns County man who drew headlines last year for pulling his youth football team off the field over safety concerns has been arrested on charges that he shared sexually explicit videos of himself with a married woman after she tried to end their affair.
James Ray McDuffie, 51, was taken into custody following a warrant issued last week.
McDuffie met the married victim at the RiverTown community gym in February 2024, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office,
The pair began a consensual sexual relationship that deteriorated months later when the woman sought to end the affair, court documents allege.
The victim, whose name The Citizen is withholding, told investigators that McDuffie began threatening to expose their trysts to her husband and others after she tried to sever ties.
“I’m never going to be able to let you go,” he allegedly said at one point. “I have to go nuclear.”
He then allegedly sent explicit videos of their encounters to a friend of the woman and posted harassing messages on her social media accounts, papers state.
She said she was unaware that she had been recorded during some sexual encounters at McDuffie’s home and never consented to any of them being disseminated.
Several videos and photos appeared to have been taken by hidden or strategically placed cameras, including inside McDuffie’s bedroom, according to court documents.
During a controlled phone call arranged by law enforcement, McDuffie allegedly acknowledged sending graphic material to a third party and made several incriminating statements.
The victim also reported that McDuffie suggested he held a high military rank that would shield him from prosecution.
McDuffie, who faces multiple felonies, had his bond set at $127,500, and the case is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the McDuffie investigation or who believes they may be a victim is asked to call the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office at 904-824-8304.
McDuffie was featured in several news stories in late 2024 after pulling his Bartram Bears youth football team off the field during a game, citing repeated helmet-to-helmet hits by opposing players that referees failed to penalize.
The retired Army Sergeant Major, who lives in St. Johns County, initially faced a one-year suspension from the North Florida Youth Football and Cheer Conference for “inciting unsportsmanlike conduct” and removing his team from play with time remaining.
Public outcry from parents and community members led the league to reduce the suspension to one week.
