BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — A Louisville, Kentucky, man will spend more than four decades in federal prison after a conviction tied to the online coercion and enticement of a Blount County, Tennessee, teen.
On Tuesday, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office announced that 27-year-old Nathaniel Covington was sentenced to 40 years and six months. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky said a jury convicted Covington of online coercion and enticement of a minor, sexual exploitation of a child, and transportation of a minor for sex.
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The court ordered Covington to pay $3,000 in restitution. After completing his prison term, he will remain on supervised release for the rest of his life.
According to BCSO, a 14-year-old girl was reported missing on June 14, 2022. Deputies traced her to Louisville, Kentucky, during the search. Investigators worked with the Louisville Police Department, which went to Covington’s home and spoke with a family member who said the girl had been with Covington but was no longer there.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Covington met the victim on social media and arranged to have her taken from Tennessee to Kentucky for a sexual encounter. Authorities issued an Amber Alert several days after the teen was taken.
On June 16, the Clark County, Indiana, Sheriff’s Office notified BCSO that deputies located the girl with Covington. Officers returned the teen to her family and arrested Covington on charges involving crimes against a minor in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana. The FBI later took over the investigation.
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“Covington is a dangerous child predator,” said U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner. “A 2019 Ohio conviction for Unlawful Sexual Conduct did not deter disgusting deviant behavior. Because of the important contributions from the Louisville Metro Police Department and the FBI, Covington will not have the opportunity to prey on any more children for at least four decades. Covington’s 40 years and 6 months federal sentence should be a siren to likeminded deviants that if they engage in this reprehensible conduct, dire consequences will soon follow.”
Because the federal system does not allow parole, Covington will serve the entire sentence. BCSO said his Tennessee charges will be absorbed into the federal sentence.
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