Bon Aqua Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Child Pornography Crime

 Defendant is a Previously Convicted Sex Offender

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – September 28, 2020 – A Bon Aqua, Tennessee man, who is also a previously convicted sex offender, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Friday for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee. 

Randall Eugene Bateman, 38, was charged in March with possession of child pornography after an investigation determined that he was the administrator of an online chat room dedicated to the discussion of child exploitation and the trading of sexually explicit images of children.  The investigation determined that in February, Bateman used the “Kik” application to post and share several videos of adults engaged in sexually activity with male and female children between the ages of four and thirteen.    

A search warrant was executed at Bateman’s home on March 11, 2020, during which a cell phone and electronic storage media were seized and approximately 100 images and videos of child sexual abuse were discovered. 

Bateman pleaded guilty to the charge in June.  He was previously convicted in 2006 of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a child and aggravated sexual exploitation of a child in Rutherford County, Tennessee and sentenced to eight years in prison. 

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with assistance from the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Carran Daughtrey prosecuted the case.