Middle District of Florida | Marion County Man Arrested for Transporting a Minor with Intent to Perform Sex Acts

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Thomas Allen Ebersole (32, Dunnellon) on one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Ebersole faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in federal prison.

According to court documents, Ebersole met a 16-year-old girl while playing online video games. On December 28, 2023, Ebersole drove from his home in Florida to Ohio, where the minor lived. Once there, Ebersole picked up the minor and immediately drove her back to Florida, where they engaged in sexual acts. The minor remained in Ebersole’s home until January 3, 2024, when police were able to identify her location via the internet protocol (IP) address she was using to play online video games. After police removed the minor from Ebersole’s home, DNA results confirmed that Ebersole had engaged in sexual acts with her.

An indictment is nothing more than a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lima (Ohio) Police Department. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.