Daniel Kelly, Child Exploitation, Tennessee 2023

A disturbing case of child exploitation has come to light with the indictment of Daniel Kelly, a 32-year-old from Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Kelly has been charged with federal child exploitation charges after a minor girl from the Middle District of Tennessee reported sending and receiving explicit messages and images with Kelly on the social media application Snapchat.

According to court documents, Kelly traveled from Jonesboro, Arkansas to the Middle District of Tennessee twice in October 2023, coinciding with the minor girl's Fall Break. During these trips, Kelly had sexual intercourse with the minor girl and recorded at least one encounter on his phone.

Kelly then sent a copy of this sexually explicit video to the minor girl via the internet.

Kelly was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee on July 17, 2024, and was subsequently arrested in Jonesboro, Arkansas on July 23, 2024.

Assistant United States Attorneys Robert E. McGuire and Monica R. Morrison are prosecuting the case. The FBI's Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency, and the FBI's Little Rock Field Office, Jonesboro Resident Agency have been assisting in the investigation.

When convicted, Kelly faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.

An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/arkansas-man-indicted-child-exploitation-charges