East Tennessee man convicted of sex crimes against children

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A Sevierville man has been convicted of receiving child pornography, according to U.S. Department of Justice officials.

In November 2022, the FBI and U.S. Secret Service began investigating an operation targeting sex offenders in Columbia, South Carolina.

One of those involved told investigators that he sent messages to a Sevierville man, Ronnie Joe Maples, about abusing children and posting child sexual abuse material, according to court documents obtained by WVLT News.

Law enforcement obtained a search warrant, arrested him after examining the records, and confiscated his iPhone.

The 47-year-old pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography.

He was sentenced to 151 months in prison, followed by life probation and registration on the state sex offender registry.

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