Franklin Resident Arrested for Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

NASHVILLE, TN—Edward M. Yarbrough, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee; Police Chief Jackie Moore, Franklin Police Department; and My Harrison, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that Scott Z. Myers, 27, of Franklin, Tennessee, was arrested on September 23, 2009, on charges of Distribution of Child Pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2)(A); and Possession of Child Pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(5)(B). Myers is scheduled for a preliminary hearing and detention hearing before a United States Magistrate Judge in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday September 28, 2009.

According to the affidavit of complaint, the Franklin Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (“ICAC”) received a referral on September 21, 2009, from the Innocent Images Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding an investigation that involved a publicly available file sharing program. The complaint also alleges that during the investigation, an agent discovered that a Franklin, Tennessee resident was sharing over 3,000 files of child pornography, and that many of the files depicted images of young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The complaint further states that investigators found that in one of his Internet chat sessions, Myers stated that he had engaged in sexual activity with at least four underage boys who lived nearby.

When agents approached Myers’ home early Wednesday morning with a federal search warrant in hand, they observed Myers leaving his apartment with two young boys. An on-site forensic preview during execution of the federal search warrant confirmed that Myers’ computer contained sexually explicit images of underage minors. Myers was subsequently arrested on federal charges.

The investigation and arrest resulted from the collaborative work of the Joint Cyber Crime Task Force. This Task Force is comprised of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Franklin Police Department, and Metro Nashville Police Department.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee and the United States Department of Justice consider the prosecution of cases involving the exploitation of children to be one of the highest priorities in law enforcement.

Charges brought against a person through a complaint or indictment are accusations only. That person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.