NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — More than a year after being convicted by a Middle Tennessee jury, a former FBI employee has been sentenced to serve more than two decades in federal prison for multiple child exploitation charges.

In March 2024, a jury reportedly found Justin Carrol guilty on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, two counts of receipt of child pornography, and three counts of transferring obscene material on an individual under the age of sixteen.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, Carroll engaged in sexually explicit chats and exchanged sexually explicit images with three 14-year-old girls over various social media platforms between June 2020 and April 2021.

Officials said Carroll's activities were discovered after one of the victims mailed a Valentine's Day package to the FBI's office in Nashville. In addition to the explicit images of minors found on Carroll’s social media accounts and cell phone, authorities said sexual images of Carroll were discovered on one of the girl's social media accounts and on another minor's cell phone.

Carroll continued to communicate with the 14-year-old victim who mailed the package, even after he received an email from her mother, asking why her daughter mailed him a package and notifying him of her daughter's age, the DOJ reported.

“When someone in law enforcement dishonors their responsibilities by committing criminal acts, we will seek the most serious penalties in order to restore the public’s trust,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “Justin Carroll dishonored the men and women of the FBI by his deplorable actions and now, thanks to the prosecution team and our law enforcement partners, he faces the consequences of those actions.”

"Today’s sentencing underscores that no matter who you are, you will be brought to justice if you are found guilty of such criminal behavior," said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. "The FBI will continue to work with our partners to protect children from exploitation and hold accountable those who exploit or endanger them."

“HSI is committed to justice by working with our law enforcement partners to hold anyone accountable for misconduct, reaffirming our dedication to upholding the trust the American people place in us daily,” said Homeland Security Investigations Nashville Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud. “We will pursue these investigations vigorously as it is paramount that we maintain the trust and integrity of those we swore an oath to protect.”

Following his 22 year sentence, Carroll will reportedly be on supervised release for at least 10 years.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Field Office and Providence Field Office, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. 

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/former-fbi-electronics-technician-in-nashville-sentenced-to-prison-on-child-exploitation-charges/