Repeat Child Sex Offender Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison

MACON, Ga. – A repeat child sex offender who admitted to possessing graphic child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in an investigation involving the tattooing of children was sentenced to serve 35 years in prison this week.

Kenneth Scott Queen, 35, of Forsyth, Georgia, and formerly of  Dayton, Tennessee, was sentenced to serve 420 months in prison to be followed by 25 years of supervised release and pay $20,000 restitution to a minor victim by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on July 24, after he previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of failure to register as a sex offender. Queen will also have to register as a sex offender for life upon his release from prison.

“Children will be safer because law enforcement quickly responded to reports of minors being tattooed and unveiled a predator,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Protecting the most vulnerable citizens from harm—and holding criminals who prey on them accountable—is a priority for law enforcement at every level.”

"Despite his prior conviction, Queen continued to abuse children, which the FBI will not tolerate," said Robert Gibbs, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Macon office. "Queen's 35 years in prison will give him plenty of time to think about his unacceptable and repeated behavior, but more importantly while in federal prison, he won't be able to do harm to any more children." 

“A case like this highlights the importance and utility of our local and federal partnerships. Each agency played a specific and vital role in developing a comprehensive case for the prosecutors,” said U.S. Marshal Stephen D. Lynn for the Middle District of Georgia. “The successful prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office will keep a dangerous predator off the streets for many years and will prevent him from targeting additional young children. This was a job well done.”

According to public records, Queen was convicted of sexual battery against a child under age 16 and child molestation in Madison County, Georgia, Superior Court on Oct. 27, 2008. Queen was required to register as a sex offender for life. After his conviction, Queen relocated to Tennessee, where he registered as a sex offender. Queen was residing in Monroe County, Georgia, in the summer of 2020 when it was reported to authorities that he was unlawfully tattooing children. Queen was found in possession of graphic child sexual abuse material he captured involving a young child. Queen was required to be registered as a sex offender at the time but had not registered himself in Monroe County as the law required him to do. For the protection of the minor victim, a portion of Queen’s plea agreement will remain sealed.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The Queen case was investigated by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom prosecuted the case