Repeat Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Exploitation Charge

NASHVILLE - James Baker, 37, of Dickson, Tennessee, pleaded guilty on July 27, 2026, to receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee.

According to court documents, in August 2024, the FBI received information that Baker was communicating through the social media application Kik with an undercover law enforcement employee who was posing as the father of an 11-year-old girl. During those communications, Baker claimed that he was sexually abusing his own teenage daughter and offered advice about abusing the purported 11-year-old. Baker also transmitted sexually explicit images that he falsely claimed depicted his daughter although Baker did not have a daughter. He later admitted that he had obtained the images online and did not know the individual depicted.

"After already being released from state prison for a child exploitation offense, this defendant was found to have child sexual abuse material on his cell phone," said U.S. Attorney Boucek. "Those who target children will be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable. Our office will continue using every available federal law-enforcement resource to protect children from exploitation."

"This case serves as a reminder of the dangers sexual predators, especially repeat offenders, pose to the most vulnerable every day," said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. "I am proud of the diligent work of the FBI Clarksville Resident Agency and partners whose vigilance and thorough oversight were key to uncovering Baker's latest offenses. The FBI is committed to finding predators like him and bringing them to justice while also ensuring those they've victimized are safe and well-supported."

Emergency disclosure information obtained from Kik, and other service providers identified Baker as the person operating the account. In September 2024, FBI agents interviewed Baker and seized his cellphone. Baker admitted that he had communicated with the undercover employee and that his phone had contained child sexual abuse material.

A court-authorized forensic examination of the cellphone identified images and videos of child sexual abuse, including material involving prepubescent children, which led to Baker's indictment for receipt of child pornography.

Baker was a registered sex offender at the time of the federal offenses. In March 2020, he pleaded guilty in Dickson County to sexual exploitation of a minor and was sentenced to six years in state prison. Baker was released from state custody in March 2024.

Baker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and forfeiture. A federal district court judge will determine Baker's sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is scheduled for November 9, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Eli J. Richardson. Baker was ordered to remain detained pending sentencing.

The FBI's Clarksville Resident Agency investigated the case with assistance from the Dickson County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison is prosecuting the case.

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