Preston Andrew Watson, Child Pornography, Tennessee 2021

Tennessee Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Child Pornography Charges

Knoxville, Tennessee - In a shocking case of child exploitation, Preston Andrew Watson, a 30-year-old man from Scott County, Tennessee, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for producing and distributing child pornography. This harrowing sentence was handed down by the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville on May 28, 2021.

According to court documents, Watson had pleaded guilty to the charges, which involved duping, extorting, and threatening minors located in the United States and abroad to obtain child pornography. He met his victims on social media websites, developed an online relationship, and then requested that they send him sexually explicit images of themselves. Watson threatened to send sexually explicit images of the minors to social media websites if the victims refused to comply with his demands for more sexually explicit images.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Knoxville Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States in court.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

Upon his release from prison, Watson will be supervised by the United States Probation Office for 20 years. He will also be required to register with the state sex offender registry in any state in which he lives, works, or attends school.

Watson's 30-year prison sentence serves as a stern warning to those who would seek to exploit and harm children. This case highlights the importance of Project Safe Childhood's efforts to protect our nation's most vulnerable citizens.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtn/pr/scott-county-man-sentenced-30-years-prison-child-pornography-charges