Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years for Additional Crimes Against a Child

Registered Sex Offender Enticed Minor Victim in Internet Chats

ATLANTA, GA—Timothy Lyle Chappell, 50, of Conley, was sentenced today by United States District Judge William S. Duffey, Jr. to serve 20 years in federal prison on charges of committing felony offenses involving a minor, specifically, enticing a minor to engage in prostitution and transporting and harboring a minor for prostitution, while being an individual required by law to register as a sex offender.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “This convicted sex offender convinced a 15-year-old girl during Internet chats to come to a motel for a free place to stay. At the same time, he was advertising the girl on the Internet as a prostitute. We are satisfied that this lengthy prison sentence will protect other children from harm by this predator and hope that it will serve as a warning to like-minded individuals who are considering engaging in similar reprehensible conduct.”

Brian D. Lamkin, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated, “The sad truth is that there are people like Mr. Chappell who will, again and again, exploit our community’s youth. The FBI-led MATCH Task Force, established to address metro Atlanta’s child exploitation problem, is proud of the role that it played in removing Mr. Chappell from our streets for many years to come.”

Chappell was sentenced to 20 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Chappell was convicted of these charges on February 8, 2012 upon his plea of guilty.

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges, and other information presented in court: Chappell is a registered sex offender based on his August 2000 conviction on two counts of sexual molestation involving two different children in Cobb County, Georgia. In early June 2010, Chappell began posting ads on the Internet offering a free room to females. The victim in this case, identified in the indictment as “C.B.,” was at that time a 15-year-old girl who was living with her aunt and contemplating running away. C.B. answered Chappell’s posting, and the two began communicating via cellphone and live Internet chats. Chappell then began posting ads on the Internet offering C.B.’s services as a prostitute. Ultimately, Chappell sent someone to pick up C.B. and bring her to the motel in Conley, Georgia, where he was living. Over the course of the next two days, Chappell had sexual relations with C.B. and provided her to two other men who had sexual relations with her.

This case was investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant United States Attorneys Teresa D. Hoyt and Susan Coppedge prosecuted the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Information Office at USAGAN.Pressemails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the homepage for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is Justice.gov/usao/gan.