Knoxville, Tenn. – On February 4, 2020, George Robert Everhart, 31, of Maryville, was sentenced by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, in the United States District Court at Knoxville. Everhart will serve 262 months in federal prison for producing and possessing child pornography.  Following his imprisonment, Everhart will be supervised by the United States Probation Office for 10 years and will be required to register with the state sex offender registry in any state in which he lives, works, or attends school.

The investigation began when a tip came in from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  Law enforcement quickly identified Everhart and insured that the victims were no longer in peril. Through the execution of federal search warrants, law enforcement discovered child pornography on Everhart’s phone, computer, and in his online file storage account.

“I want to commend the dedicated investigators and forensic examiners of the Knoxville Police Department who immediately took action to protect children from the defendant.” said J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee.  U.S. Attorney Overbey emphasized, “We will continue to work closely with law enforcement to pursue child sexual predators and vigorously prosecute them and protect our children from them.”

The case was investigated by the Knoxville Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, with assistance from the Maryville Police Department. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Morris represented the United States.

This case was brought forward as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov 

                                                                                ###