Two charged in TBI human trafficking operation in Marion County

Two southeastern Tennessee men have been arrested during a two-day undercover operation by the TBI Human Trafficking Unit.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Judicial District Drug Task Force worked together on the investigation, which began Aug. 7, the state agency said in a news release.

Bryan Edward Lawson, 36, of Georgetown, Tennessee, is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means and is being held without bail, the agency said. Jeremiah James Masters, 27, of Chattanooga, was booked on a summons charging him with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means. He was released Friday on $2,500 bail.

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Masters did not have an attorney listed, according to the Marion County Clerk of Courts’ office, and the office of Public Defender Ted Engel is representing Lawson. Engel was in a meeting in Nashville, his office staff said when reached by phone Wednesday. A message seeking comment was left.

A phone number listed for Masters was disconnected when he received a call Wednesday. He also did not immediately respond to a message sent to a social media account under his name. The account has been inactive since 2015.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press will update this story as comments come in.

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Lawson and Masters are scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 11, court officials said.

During the two-day undercover investigation into activities in East Tennessee, agents placed several decoy ads on websites known to be associated with prostitution and commercial sex, authorities said in the news release.

“The operation was aimed at identifying individuals who sought to engage in commercial sex acts with minors,” the agency said.

For information about human trafficking and TBI’s efforts to combat this crime, visit ItHasToStop.com.

Contact Ben Benton at [email protected] or 423-757-6569.