from justice.gov
Tad Cummins, 51, of Columbia, Tennessee, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to charges of transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of engaging in criminal sexual conduct and obstruction of justice, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran of the Middle District of Tennessee.
“The Government has been ready and eager to try Mr. Cummins on the charges brought by the grand jury,” said U.S. Attorney Don Cochran. “In view of today’s development and Mr. Cummins’ decision to plead guilty, we are pleased that the victim no longer faces the possibility of enduring a lengthy trial. We applaud the efforts of the FBI, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Maury County Sheriff’s Department and the many law enforcement agencies across the country that contributed to the search and ultimate rescue of the victim and the arrest of Mr. Cummins. We now look forward to the sentencing of Mr. Cummins and bringing closure to this case.”
Cummins was initially charged in a criminal complaint on April 20, 2017, after being located in Cecilville, California with the 15-year-old female victim. Cummins and the 15-year old had been the subject of a nationwide search by law enforcement, after leaving the Columbia, Tennessee area on March 13, 2017. Cummins was returned to the Middle District of Tennessee on May 9, 2017, and was indicted by a federal grand jury in Nashville on May 18, 2017. He has been in federal custody while awaiting trial.
Cummins faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger on September 24, 2018.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Beth Myers and Philip Wehby are prosecuting the case.
