McKenzie Man Indicted on Federal Child Exploitation Offenses

JACKSON (November 19) — A federal grand jury in Jackson, Tenn., recently returned an indictment charging a McKenzie man with multiple federal child sexual exploitation offenses, according to a press release from the Henry County Sheriff's Office.  United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the return of the indictment today.

According to the indictment, John A. Bell, 59, is charged with 14 counts of using and employing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct and a single count of possessing a cell phone that contained visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including visual depictions involving a prepubescent minor who had not attained 12 years of age engaging in such conduct. 

The indictment concerns Bell's alleged acts against six minors and ranges in time from the fall of 2021 until October 2025. 

This case is pending before United States District Court Judge J. Daniel Breen in Jackson.  Bell faces a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence and a maximum sentence of 30 years' imprisonment on each of the production counts and a maximum of 20 years' imprisonment on the possession count. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is being investigated by Special Agent Eric McCraw, FBI Nashville Division, Jackson Resident Agency, and Lt. David Andrews with the Henry County Sheriff's Office. 

If anyone has any additional information regarding this case or any matter involving the abuse of minor children, please contact the FBI Nashville Division (615-232-7500) or the Henry County Sheriff's Office (731-642-1672).

Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.