Business Partner of Asylum Tacos in Columbia Faces Additional Charges for Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

MAURY COUNTY – A man arrested earlier this year as part of a large-scale, collaborative operation to target online child exploitation and sextortion in Tennessee, called Operation Protecting Tomorrow, now faces an additional charge after child sexual abuse material was found on devices he owns.

Cody J. Wilson (DOB 11/11/1992) was one of a dozen people arrested as part of the joint investigation with special agents with the TBI ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Task Force and the United States Secret Service. Wilson was charged on February 16th with Solicitation of a Minor and Soliciting Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – Exploitation of a Minor by Electronic Means. After Wilson's initial arrest, a search of his electronic devices revealed he had been distributing and exchanging Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on various online platforms. Some of the material consisted of children as young as infants being sexually assaulted.

Agents with the TBI ICAC Task Force today arrested Wilson, who is originally from the Columbiaville, Michigan, area, and charged him with Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. He was booked into the Maury County Jail with the assistance of US Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Maury County Sheriff's Office. He is being held on a $75,000 bond.

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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is an ICAC affiliate of the Tennessee ICAC Task Force. Anyone with information about these cases or other cases of online child exploitation should contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Tipline at 1-800-TBI-FIND, [email protected], or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org.

The TBI has information about online dangers, sextortion, and common-sense tips for the public on its website, at http://www.tn.gov/tbi. Parents and caregivers looking for resources aimed at helping children develop online safety skills should visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website, at http://www.netsmartz.org.