Kyle Tennyson, Online Sex Solicitation, Ohio 2024

A Central Ohio man has been sentenced to over 12 years in federal prison for arranging online to meet up with what he believed was a 15-year-old minor for sex.

Kyle Tennyson, 35, a registered sex offender, used the social media app Kasual to talk to what he thought was a 15-year-old, but was actually an undercover agent. He drove to Cincinnati within hours of when he first started talking to the purported minor online.

According to court documents, after learning of the supposed minor’s age in online conversations, Tennyson messaged “It’s just extremely risky for a guy to do anything with you sadly. :/ I hate the law.”

Tennyson sent several requests for specific images, saying he needed to verify the 15-year-old was real. The defendant told the minor what sexual activities he had in mind, proposed different sexual positions for her to look up, and ensured that her parents did not have access to her hotel room.

Tennyson also mentioned he was being cautious because he had been “caught for this a few months ago and am currently going through the legal system,” adding, “Girl on bumble said she was 18. She wasn’t. Parents found out. I got screwed.” He sent the minor a picture of his leg with an ankle monitor, which was imposed as a condition of bond in connection to his ongoing prosecution in Delaware County for charges alleging sexual abuse of a 13-year-old.

Tennyson drove from Dublin to a hotel in Cincinnati, where he was apprehended by agents. When law enforcement officials apprehended him, Tennyson had on him a grocery bag with an open box of 36 count condoms.

A federal grand jury indicted Tennyson in June 2024 with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. He pleaded guilty in June 2025. Tennyson was previously convicted in 2014 of pandering obscenity. He is also currently facing 10 charges for sex offenses involving a minor in Delaware County.

Tennyson was sentenced to 151 months in prison. The case was announced by United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Dominick S. Gerace II and Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit. Assistant United States Attorney Danielle E. Margeaux and Criminal Chief Christy L. Muncy represented the United States in this case.

Related Federal Cases