Knoxville Man Sentenced To 8 Years For Distribution Of Child Pornography

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On January 29, 2026, Nathan Lee Westbrook, 27, of Knoxville, TN, was sentenced to 96 months imprisonment by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville.  Following his imprisonment, Westbrook will be on supervised release for 24 years and will be required to register with state sex offender registries and comply with special sex offender conditions.

As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Westbrook agreed to plead guilty to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(2).

According to filed court documents, on February 21, 2025, investigators with the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations – Internet Crimes Against Children (HSI-ICAC) Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a user on Kik uploaded and distributed six video files containing child pornography. The IP address associated with the Kik user was investigated and found to be used by Nathan Lee Westbrook.  After executing a search warrant for Westbrook’s computer equipment, HSI-ICAC investigators found 12 images containing child pornography and six videos depicting criminal sexual acts with a minor.  The investigation revealed Westbrook distributed the six child pornography videos in a private chatroom over the internet.

U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement.

The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by HSI-ICAC and Knoxville Police Department.  This investigation was led by HSI-ICAC Task Force Officer Tom Evans.

Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click the tab "resources.”

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