NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A federal jury has convicted a Tennessee man of possession of child sexual abuse material depicting a prepubescent minor or a minor who has not attained the age of 12 years following a joint investigation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville.
Scott Michael Nelson, 61, of Ashland City, faces a mandatory minimum term of incarceration of 10 years and a maximum term of incarceration of 20 years in federal prison. The sentencing has been scheduled for March 27, 2025.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on Oct. 16, 2021, probation officers with the Tennessee Department of Corrections searched Nelson’s cell phone prior to Halloween. As part of Operation Blackout, probation officers conducted a home search of every registered sex offender on probation. A video of child sexual abuse material was found on Nelson’s cell phone during the search. He admitted to owning the cell phone. Probation contacted the Metro Nashville Police Department, who seized the cell phone and obtained a search warrant for the cell phone.
At the time authorities found the video on Nelson’s phone, he was a registered sex offender who was on probation in Davidson County after serving a 10-year sentence in Florida stemming from multiple convictions child exploitation crimes in 2009. After serving his sentence in Florida, Nelson was ordered to serve 10 years’ probation, which was transferred to Tennessee when he moved to Ashland City.
The case was investigated by HSI Nashville and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica R. Morrison and Katy Risinger prosecuted the case.
To report any information about human trafficking, child sexual abuse, or the trafficking in child sexual abuse material contact the HSI Tip Line at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP; or report it through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.
Learn more about HSI Nashville’s mission to increase public safety in Tennessee and Kentucky communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSI_Nashville.