Smyrna Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material and Witness Tampering

A Smyrna, Tennessee man, Pierre Burns, has been handed a 20-year prison sentence following his conviction for producing child sexual abuse material and witness tampering, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The 31-year-old was found guilty of photographing and recording two minors in explicit acts, after picking them up from a Nashville Waffle House in March 2020. Burns' illicit activities surfaced during a traffic stop where the images were located on his phone, and one of the victims was present in the vehicle at that time.

While awaiting trial on charges related to child exploitation, the defendant made a call to one of the minors, from the jail in a maladroit bid to influence her trial testimony. The splintering revelation of such grave misconduct led to the adicion of a witness tampering charge in a superseding indictment. Following these developments, Burns now faces a succeeding period of 10 years of supervised release after the completion of his incarceration.

In reaction to the case's outcome, U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis emphasized the Justice Department's commitment to shielding minors from exploitation. “Today’s sentence, and the excellent investigative and trial work that preceded it, will ensure that this defendant will not get anywhere near children for the next two decades.” he pointed out in the statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The sentencing was highlighted as the fruit of collaborative efforts between multiple agencies. “This sentencing is a result of cooperation between HSI and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department to rescue children being sexually exploited,” declared HSI Nashville Special Agent in Charge, Rana Saoud. The case was propelled by the investigative work of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department alongside Homeland Security Investigations. Prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison.