Marion County Man Pleads Guilty To Transporting A Minor Across State Lines With The Intent To Engage In Sexual Activity

Ocala, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Thomas Allen Ebersole (32, Dunnellon) has pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity. Ebersole faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court records, in December 2023, Ebersole began communicating with a 16-year-old girl through online video games. On December 28, 2023, Ebersole drove from Florida to Ohio where the minor lived. Ebersole then drove the minor from Ohio back to his home in Florida to engage in sexual activity. The minor stayed in Ebersole's home until January 3, 2024, when law enforcement identified her location through the Internet Protocol (IP) address she used to play online video games. After law enforcement removed the minor from Ebersole's home, DNA results confirmed that Ebersole had engaged in sexual activity with her.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Marion County Sheriff's Office, and the Lima (Ohio) Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, 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, Project Safe Childhood 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 Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.