Ashland City Sex Offender Convicted on Possession of Child Pornography Charges

NASHVILLE - A federal jury yesterday convicted Scott Michael Nelson, 61, of Ashland City, Tennessee, of Possession of Child Pornography Depicting a Prepubescent Minor or a Minor who has not Attained the Age of 12 years, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Thomas J. Jaworski.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on October 16, 2021, Probation Officers with the Tennessee Department of Corrections searched Nelson's cell phone as part of Operation Blackout whereby Probation conducted a home search of every registered sex offender on probation prior to Halloween. A video of child sexual abuse material was found on the Defendant's cell phone during the search by Probation. Nelson admitted the cell phone was his. 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 for 2009 convictions for multiple child exploitation crimes. After serving his sentence in Florida, the Defendant was ordered to serve 10 years' probation, which was transferred to Tennessee when he moved to Ashland City.

Nelson will be sentenced on March 27, 2025. At sentencing, Nelson faces a mandatory minimum term of incarceration of 10 years and a maximum term of incarceration of 20 years in federal prison.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica R. Morrison and Katy Risinger prosecuted the case.

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