Philip George Turner Sentenced To 17 Years For Distribution And Possession Of Child Pornography And Felon In Possession Of A Firearm

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On September 21, 2023, Philip George Turner, 39, currently of Kingston, TN, was sentenced to 204 months by the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. 

As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Turner waived an indictment by a Federal Grand Jury and agreed to plead guilty to an information charging him with, one count of distribution of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(1)(2); one count of possession of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(5)(B); and, one count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).  Following his incarceration, Turner will be on supervised release for 20 years and will be required to register with state sex offender registries and to comply with special sex offender conditions.

According to court records, in May 2022, local law enforcement received a tip from an out of state undercover officer that Turner was distributing child pornography on an Internet site.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) became involved as the FBI was also investigating a Cybertip that asserted Turner uploaded 120 files of child pornography containing still images and videos.  As the investigation progressed, law enforcement learned that Turner was on parole for convictions from Illinois.

In June 2022, law enforcement went to Turner’s home with a search warrant.  Upon entering, multiple firearms were seen lying about the residence to which Turner admitted he was going to attempt to sell.  The seizure yielded five pistols and ammunition, and child pornography. 

U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee; Special Agent in Charge, Joseph E. Carrico, of the FBI; and Special Agent in Charge, Marcus Watson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.          

The criminal information was the result of an investigation by Agent Cortny Dugger and Criminal Investigator Chanel Finnell with the Tennessee Ninth Judicial District Attorney General Office-Internet Crimes Against Children’s Unit, the FBI, and ATF.

Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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 Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources.”

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