BEDFORD COUNTY, TN - It all began through online gaming, specifically on platforms that teenagers across the United States frequent. Through video games, a 40-year-old man in neighboring Bedford County engaged in conversations with a juvenile—conversations that led to a Shelbyville man being arrested after he was accused of soliciting a sexual relationship with a juvenile.
Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Cybercrime & Digital Evidence Unit began investigating the case last year and were ultimately led to the culprit on the other side of the computer screen in Shelbyville, Tennessee. There, they reportedly found that the suspect was attempting to cultivate a sexual relationship with the minor victim while distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online, according to the TBI.
Investigators launched their inquiry in February 2024 after receiving information from the San Bernardino, California Police Department. A juvenile victim in the Golden State reported that a man solicited her for an online sexual relationship via popular games Roblox and Call of Duty. Authorities then identified the suspect as 40-year-old Ricky Lee Bonifant, Jr. (DOB 10/8/1984). Agents discovered that Bonifant was not only in possession of child sexual abuse material but was also distributing the material across various online platforms, according to the TBI.
On Wednesday (02/05/2025), agents moved in and arrested Bonifant, charging him with two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, one count of Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, one count of Solicitation of a Minor, and two counts of Solicitation of a Minor by Electronic Means. Bonifant was booked into the Bedford County Jail on Wednesday evening at around 5:30. As of Thursday (02/06/2025) night, he was still behind bars and unable to post the required $100,000 bond.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is an affiliate of the Tennessee ICAC Task Force. Anyone with information regarding these incidents or other cases of online exploitation should reach out to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Tipline at 1-800-TBI-FIND, TipsToTBI@tbi.tn.gov, or report through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org.
Parents seeking additional information about cybercrime, child exploitation, and how best to safeguard their loved ones can visit www.NetSmartz.org for a variety of topical, age-appropriate resources.
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
