District of Oregon | Former community college coach sentenced to federal prison for sexually enticing minor

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man who was the head coach of the men’s basketball team at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, was sentenced today to federal prison for persuading a child to send him sexually explicit images.

Nathan Ezell Bowie, 38, was sentenced to 162 months in federal prison and 20 years of probation.

According to court documents, Bowie organized a basketball camp at a high school in Oregon in November 2021. Bowie asked students at the camp to contact him online, and the victim messaged Bowie asking for basketball practice. Bowie continued to communicate with the minor and eventually convinced the victim to send sexually explicit images. In January 2022, another coach learned of the communications and alerted police.

On March 15, 2022, Bowie was charged in a criminal complaint with sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement, and receiving child pornography.

On May 15, 2024, Bowie pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor.

This case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and FBI Portland’s Eugene Resident Agency. It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone with information about physical or online child exploitation is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of which are undercover, in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. CETF works to identify and apprehend those who exploit children, and to rescue and assist victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember that child abuse material depicts actual crimes against children. These images and videos not only document the exploitation and abuse of the victims, but when shared online, the child victims are re-victimized and re-traumatized every time their abuse is viewed. For more information, visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.