Michael Holland, 37, pleaded guilty on Thursday, June 25, 2026, in federal court in Jackson, Tenn., to transporting a 12-year-old across state lines with the intent that she engage in criminal sexual activity, prosecutors said. Authorities say Holland drove to Jackson in November 2024 after cultivating a relationship with the child on Snapchat, then took her back to his Columbia, S.C., home, where investigators say he sexually abused her. He faces a statutory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a possible sentence of life, with sentencing set for September 2026.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, Holland admitted violating 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a) after FBI agents found the girl at his residence and discovered photographs and videos on his cellphone. The office says the case is pending before U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Morrow.
How federal investigators say it unfolded
Prosecutors say Holland first reached out to the girl on Snapchat and, in November 2024, drove from South Carolina to Jackson to pick her up before returning her to his Columbia home, where agents later located her, the release states. “This case demonstrates the horrifying danger posed by predators who lure, exploit, and abuse innocent children using social media and the internet,” U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said in the statement.
Legal context
Holland was charged under 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a), which makes it a federal crime to knowingly transport a person under 18 in interstate commerce “with intent” that the person engage in illicit sexual activity. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. Because the federal system does not provide for parole, a judge will weigh the sentencing guidelines, victim-impact statements and the evidence when deciding Holland’s sentence in September.
Part of a broader regional crackdown
The plea comes amid a series of federal prosecutions in Tennessee targeting adults who use social media to groom and move minors across state lines. As Middle Tennessee man gets 9 years reported, a separate defendant was sentenced to nine years in June after similar allegations. Local reporting from WREG tracked Holland’s guilty plea and the U.S. Attorney’s statement.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or [email protected], according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Holland remains in custody pending his September sentencing, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Morrow continues to prosecute the case.
