KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Thirty-four-year-old Christopher Edward Allen has been charged with nine counts involving child pornography and attempting to entice minors to engage in unlawful sexual activity, according to a release from the Department of Justice.
Those nine counts include:
- Three counts of attempting to entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity
- One count of producing child pornography
- Two counts of attempting to produce child pornography
- Two counts of transporting a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct
- One count of transferring obscene material
According to DOJ, Allen used various social media platforms to find minors online. After he found them, Allen baited them over social media to engage in "unlawful sexual activity" and to "send nude images of themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct."
There were two instances where Allen paid the minors for nude images, which he later emailed to himself using the minor's name as the subject line, the DOJ said. He also sent sexually explicit images of himself to minors.
In another instance, Allen met a minor in person at his workplace, where he added them to one of his social media accounts. Later that night, he talked with the minor through social media.
Authorities found out about the messages and, with consent from the minor’s parents, assumed the minor’s identity on social media two days later, according to the DOJ.
Allen was later arrested at a Kingston park after arriving with the intent to meet the minor.
His hearing is set for Feb. 6, 2025, at 2 p.m., where he is facing a sentence of up to life in prison.
