Jimmy Rollins Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

CHATTANOOGA, TN—Jimmy Rollins, 44, of Palmer, Tennessee, pleaded guilty on February 5, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga to producing child pornography. Sentencing has been set for May 6, 2013, in the U.S. District Court in Chattanooga.

Rollins faces a minimum term of 25 years up to 50 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release from five years to life.

In February 2012, an undercover investigation by the Winchester Police Department identified Rollins as a person who used the Internet to traffic in pornographic images of children. A search of his home in May 2012 revealed equipment used in the production of child pornography and multiple photographic images and videos of Rollins engaged in sexual activity with a known minor. All the child pornographic scenes were set in a bedroom that can be recognized as Rollins’. Rollins had been previously convicted in 1994 of two counts of statutory rape in the Criminal Circuit Court of Grundy County, Tennessee.

U.S. Attorney William C. Killian stated, “We will aggressively prosecute those who are using interstate commerce to victimize children for profit and sexual gratification. Let the message be clear: If you engage in production of child pornography in the Eastern District of Tennessee, you will be caught and you will serve significant time in prison.”

On November 27, 2012, a nine-count indictment, which included the aforementioned charge, was returned against Rollins by a federal grand jury sitting in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This indictment was the result of an ongoing investigation by the Winchester Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. John P. MacCoon, Assistant U.S. Attorney represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”