NASHVILLE - Bobby Lequan Council, 39, of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, pleaded guilty yesterday to sexually exploiting a 7-year-old child, possessing child sexual abuse material depicting a prepubescent minor, failing to register as a sex offender, and committing a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender, announced United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Because Council has a prior federal conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 90 years.

"Protecting children from sexual predators remains one of our highest priorities," said U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek. "This defendant's repeated exploitation of children and disregard for sex offender registration requirements warrant the substantial penalties Congress has prescribed. We commend the Goodlettsville Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals, for their swift and thorough investigations."

According to court documents, on April 16, 2025, detectives with the Goodlettsville Police Department responded to a residence in Goodlettsville after a woman reported discovering sexually explicit videos of a 7-year-old minor on an iPhone Council was using.

"Homeland Security Investigations is committed to protecting children from those who seek to exploit them," said HSI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Dennis M. Fetting. "This case highlights the importance of collaboration among law enforcement agencies to ensure that offenders, especially those who repeatedly disregard the law, are held accountable and that vulnerable victims receive justice."

Detectives obtained a state search warrant for the phone. A forensic examination recovered three sexually explicit videos of the prepubescent minor, all created on January 16, 2025. After waiving his Miranda rights, Council admitted to detectives that he had sexually abused the minor and recorded the abuse using the phone.

At the time he created the videos, Council was a registered sex offender based on a 2012 federal conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor. As a Tier III sex offender, Council was required to report in person every three months for life and to update his registration whenever he established or changed a residence.

In February 2025, Council registered a Nashville motel as his primary address but checked out four days later. Investigators determined that Council had, in fact, been residing at a Goodlettsville residence since at least December 2024, but never updated his sex offender registration to reflect that address.

Council pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Eli J. Richardson to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, second offense; one count of possession of child sexual abuse material depicting a prepubescent minor, second offense; one count of failure to register as a sex offender; and one count of committing a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender.

The sexual exploitation offense carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 50 years. The child sexual abuse material possession offense carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of 20 years. The failure-to-register offense carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. The offense of committing a felony involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender carries a mandatory 10-year sentence that must run consecutively to the sentence imposed for the sexual exploitation offense.

Council also faces a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life, restitution, and mandatory special assessments.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 16. U.S. District Court Judge Eli J. Richardson will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Goodlettsville Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica R. Morrison and Carlin Hess are prosecuting the case.

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