Nashville child predator sentenced to 105 years following ICE HSI investigation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Nashville man who filmed himself sexually exploiting a toddler boy and an infant girl on multiple occasions was sentenced to 105 years in federal prison Monday for multiple counts of producing and transporting child pornography. The sentencing follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Jarratt A. Turner, 36, of Nashville, previously pleaded guilty to all counts of the indictment issued in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee March 20, 2017.
According to court documents, Turner befriended two families with young children that he offered to babysit. Between October 2014 and May 2015, Turner took sexually explicit images and videos of the toddler girl on ten different occasions and of the infant boy on six different occasions while in his basement apartment in Nashville. The sexually explicit material included depictions of himself sexually molesting the two children, who were between the ages of 12 and 31 months during this period.
After making these recordings, Turner subsequently distributed these images via the Internet to others, and in an attempt to avoid detection by law enforcement, he only used publicly available Wi-Fi networks. With the help of a manager of a business where Turner frequently accessed the Internet, law enforcement officers were able to identify the defendant.
“Children of this community are a little safer today with this sexual predator behind bars,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigation’s operations in Tennessee. “The fact he would film, and then upload to the Internet, videos of himself molesting an infant and toddler, then take elaborate steps to conceal his activities, represents the extreme danger he posed to the community.”
“The sentence imposed by the Court should insure that this defendant will never have another opportunity to inflict his perverted sexual desires upon another innocent child,” said U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.
This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 16,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 victims identified or rescued.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
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