Zachariah Luaie Albaba, Child Pornography, Tennessee 2024

Former Knox County teacher Zachariah Luaie Albaba, 33, of Rocky Top, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 240 months in prison for his involvement in the production and attempted production of child pornography.

According to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Albaba was sentenced by the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer following a guilty plea to one count of production of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and one count of attempted production of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2251(a).

As part of the plea agreement, Albaba admitted to contacting two minor boys via the internet application OMEGLE in two separate communications on September 11, 2022. The communications were located on Albaba’s cell phone and showed him requesting the boys to engage in sexual conduct.

One of the videos showed a child engaging in sexual conduct, while the other did not. Neither of the boys has been identified. Albaba will be required to register with state sex offender registries and comply with special sex offender conditions during his supervised release following his incarceration.

U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee announced the sentencing, along with Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Acting Resident Agent in Charge Lesley Cochran of the United States Secret Service (USSS) – Knoxville and Kentucky.

The investigation was led by HSI Task Force Agent Thomas Evans and involved multiple agencies, including the HSI, USSS, Knoxville Police Department-Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, Tennessee Internet Crimes Against Children, Kentucky Office of Attorney General, Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, and Rocky Top Police Department.

Zachariah Luaie Albaba’s case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For internet safety education resources, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab ‘resources.’

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