Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Over 19 Years’ Imprisonment

Jackson, TN - A registered sex offender from Missouri was recently sentenced to prison. Reagan Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

According to the information presented in court, Jayson Lance Luther, 32, met a minor child residing in Dyersburg, TN at a holiday event in December 2022. Luther and the minor child exchanged phone numbers and, shortly thereafter, began texting one another. In January 2023, the minor child's parent uncovered the messages and reported it to the police. The investigation revealed over 1,200 pages of messages between Luther and the minor child. Many of the texts were sexually explicit.

On August 13, 2024, Luther pled guilty to knowingly enticing a minor to engage in any sexual activity for which a person can be charged. United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Luther to 235 months in federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

"We are committed to protecting all citizens of this District, but most importantly the young and vulnerable," said Acting United States Attorney Fondren. "This sentence is a reflection of the seriousness of this offense, and we will continue to work to ensure that dangerous perpetrators see justice."

Danny H. Goodman, Jr., District Attorney General for the Twenty-Ninth Judicial District of Tennessee, who assigned Andrew Hays as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to the Western District, stated, "The partnership that the Twenty-Ninth Judicial District of Tennessee has established with the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee has been invaluable for the citizens of our district. This case is a perfect example of this collaboration of teams which allows us to remove dangerous individuals from our communities to keep our citizens and children safe."

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dyersburg Police Department.

Acting United States Attorney Reagan Fondren thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Hays for the Western District of Tennessee, who prosecuted the case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.

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