Florida Man Sentenced To 30 Years For Interstate Travel To Engage In Sexual Conduct With Minor

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - On January 7, 2026, Jeffrey Lee Robertson, 35, of Jacksonville, Florida and Indianapolis, Indiana was sentenced to 360 months by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. Following his imprisonment, Robertson will be on supervised release for life and will be required to register with state sex offender registries and comply with special sex offender conditions.

As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Robertson agreed to plead guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of interstate travel for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(b); one count of enticement of a minor under the age of 18 to engage in illegal sexual activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b); and one count of tampering with a victim to destroy evidence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(2).

Investigators with the Homeland Security Investigations-Internet Crimes Against Children (HSI-ICAC) Task Force and local law enforcement investigated a report of child sexual abuse and determined that from December 2023 to February 2024, Robertson, along with co-defendant and wife, Kasey Lynn Skaggs, travelled across state lines on three different occasions into the EDTN to have sex with a 14-year-old female. On the victim's phone, investigators located text and social media messages between the two defendants enticing and talking to the minor about illicit sexual acts they would together. Investigators also found additional evidence that the two defendants instructed the victim to destroy their communications to avoid detection by law enforcement.

Co-defendant Skaggs is set to be sentenced by District Judge Varlan on February 17, 2026, in the United States District Court at Knoxville.

U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement. The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by HSI-ICAC, 9^th Judicial District Attorney's Office, and Lenoir City Police Department.

This investigation was led by HSI-ICAC Task Force Officer Cortney Dugger.

Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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