KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Scott County man will spend the next three decades behind bars after pleading guilty to the production and distribution of child pornography.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for East Tennessee, Preston Andrew Watson, 30, admitted to meeting young victims on social media websites and developing a relationship with them. He then asked them to send him sexually explicit photos of themselves.
Once they did, he threatened to post those photos on social media if they didn't send him more. According to documents, Watson "duped, extorted, and threatened" his victims, who were located across the country.
In addition to his thirty-year sentence in federal prison, Watson will be on supervised probation for twenty years after his release and will have to register as a sex offender.
The investigation was conducted by the Dept. of Homeland Security and the Knoxville Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide effort to combat the increasing number of cases of child exploitation and abuse. It was launched in May 2006.