RICHMOND, Va. -- A 73-year-old Tennessee man who drove to Henrico County to perform sex acts on two children was sentenced Wednesday to 16 years in prison.
Thomas Monti, a former school administrator in Tennessee, was arrested in October 2019 after driving more than 600 miles for an arranged meeting with a woman who he thought was giving him access to two children.
Court documents obtained by CBS 6 revealed Monti was communicating with an undercover FBI agent in Richmond through a website known for members interested in alternative forms of friendships and sexual relationships.
Monti used the moniker “Master Thorn” to reach out online to an undercover FBI agent posing as an adult with access to two minor children.
The agent made up a profile, claiming to be a 42-year-old woman and included a list of interests that could draw the attention of someone with a sexual interest in children.
"Monti detailed his interest in engaging in sexual acts with the children, to include graphic and violent sadomasochistic conduct. The explicit chats continued for approximately two months until October 2019, when Monti made the 10-hour trip from Tennessee to Virginia to meet the purported woman and the children in Henrico County," according to a release from the Department of Justice.
Agents with the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force Monti arrested Monti upon arriving at a Henrico restaurant on October 3.
Handcuffs, plastic ties, chains, metal skewers, ball gags, various sex toys, and candy were found in his car.
Monti's intent was to live with the woman and the children for a time in order to engage in various forms of sexual abuse," according to court records.
