Knoxville man sentenced after attempting to approach undercover FBI agent

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville man was sentenced to federal prison Friday after he solicited sex from a person he thought was a 13-year-old, but who was actually an FBI agent.

Dominique Starr, 29, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after agreeing to plead guilty to one count of enticement of a child. He will be on 20 years of supervised release after his release and will be required to register with the state sex offender registry and abide by special sex offender
the circumstances of the convicted person during his conditional release.

In October 2022, Starr began communicating with an undercover FBI agent in Portland, who he believed was a 13-year-old girl. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, he repeatedly asked for nude photos and sex. He also threatened to stalk, kidnap, and rape the alleged minor.

Two other FBI agents reported contacting Starr after he requested nude photos and discussed meeting them for sex. A search of his social media accounts revealed that Starr had contact with 47 other alleged minors, ranging in age from 9 to 17.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative
launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child abuse
sexual exploitation and abuse.