Source: United States Department of Justice News
NASHVILLE – A Putnam County Commissioner was charged yesterday with possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Jimmy Ray Neal, 57, of Baxter, Tennessee, was arrested at his home, after FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a search warrant. Neal was transported to Nashville and appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge late yesterday.
A criminal complaint obtained yesterday alleges that Neal was identified as an administrator of a group in the Kik app in which images of child pornography were viewed and shared with other users. Specifically, the images depicted naked pre-pubescent females with the focus on the genital area.
This long-running investigation by the FBI began in July 2021, and after the arrest of an Oklahoma man on child pornography charges, other users in the Kik app group were identified, including “tennesseemaster,” later identified as Jimmy Ray Neal.
A preliminary and detention hearing is set for Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at 2 p.m.
If convicted, Neal faces a mandatory minimum of five years, and up to 20 years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison is prosecuting the case.
The charges are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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