A 21-year-old man is facing two statutory rape charges after Nashville police say he met a 14-year-old girl through an online video game, then drove more than 1,000 miles to Missouri with the intention of bringing her back to his home. The man arrived at the East Police Precinct on Trinity Lane on October 16 to drop the girl off, according to investigators, setting off an investigation that has since led to his arrest.
According to The Tennessean, the man met and communicated with the teen using an online video game, per the arrest affidavit. He told investigators he initially connected with her through an online chat group associated with Fortnite, the newspaper reported, citing the affidavit.
Victim Says She Traveled Over 1,000 Miles From Missouri
The girl, who lived in Missouri, told investigators the man drove more than 1,000 miles to reach her with the intention of bringing her back to his home, per the affidavit cited in the report. She said she had sex with the man at a hotel on Brick Church Pike, and the man admitted to having sex with her both at that hotel and in Missouri, the same account states.
The man was booked and spent about a day at the downtown detention center before being released on October 18, the station's report notes. He is scheduled to appear in court on November 20.
Fortnite's Past Brush With Federal Privacy Regulators
The case surfaces renewed attention on how online games can become points of contact between adults and minors. Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, states in its community rules that child grooming includes contacting, talking with, or befriending a child with the intent to ask for or offer sexual contact or to share content for sexual purposes, according to Epic Games’ community rules.
The company has previously faced federal scrutiny over how it handled young users' privacy. In 2022, Epic Games paid the U.S. government $275 million after regulators alleged the company violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by leaving real-time voice and text communications on by default for minors, per the Tennessean's reporting. Then-FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said at the time that Epic used privacy-invasive default settings and deceptive interfaces that tricked Fortnite users, including teenagers and children.
Khan also said protecting the public, especially children, from online privacy invasions and dark patterns was a top commission priority, and that the enforcement actions made clear the FTC was cracking down on unlawful practices, according to the same report.
