A Tennessee man, Terry Dewayne Macon, has been convicted by a federal jury on three counts of transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. The conviction follows an investigation and trial detailing events that began in July 2024, when Macon met a 14-year-old Mississippi girl online.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Macon, who was 27 at the time, traveled from Tennessee to Mississippi three times over the course of a month. Each time, he picked up the minor and brought her back to Tennessee. He later admitted to engaging in sex acts with her.
On August 28, 2024, members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Abduction Response Team found the minor with Macon at a residence in Grand Junction, Tennessee. She was safely returned home. The jury heard testimony from the victim, her mother, and two FBI Task Force Officers before reaching its verdict.
Macon was already serving a term of federal supervised release when these offenses occurred. Following his conviction, Chief United States District Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced him to 24 months for violating his supervised release conditions. This sentence will run concurrently with whatever sentence is imposed for his sex offense convictions.
U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary for the Northern District of Mississippi and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office announced the guilty verdict.
The investigation involved cooperation between the FBI Jackson Field Office, Corinth Police Department, FBI Nashville’s Jackson Resident Agency, and other local agencies in Tennessee.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Addison and Parker King are prosecuting the case.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS)—which brings together federal, state, and local resources to combat child sexual exploitation online and assist victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
