Patrick Bryant Hawley, 44, of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, was sentenced on April 16, 2026, by Chief Judge Travis R. McDonough in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga to 340 months in federal prison. Following his release from prison, he will serve 20 years of supervised release, during which he must register as a sex offender and comply with special sex offender conditions. He was also ordered to pay $60,000 in restitution to the victim.

Hawley pleaded guilty to one count of child exploitation in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a). According to court documents, he met a 14-year-old girl online, and their conversation quickly turned sexual. Hawley told her that no age was “too young” for his desires. After she sent him sexually explicit images, he demanded to see her face and body contours. He continued communicating with her while repeatedly acknowledging that she was a minor. Among other things, Hawley sent her images and videos of himself masturbating as well as material depicting other minors engaged in sexual acts and bestiality.

He instructed the victim to record herself using a sex toy. When she hesitated, he insulted her with a vulgar epithet and told her to “rape yourself with it.” He then described additional explicit acts he wanted her to perform, and she ultimately complied by sending him videos of the requested conduct.

The case was investigated jointly by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Woods. It was announced by U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III, FBI Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, and Acting HSI Special Agent in Charge Colin Jackson. The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.