NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A man from Walton, Kentucky was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for trying to engage in sexual activity with a minor.

According to the Department of Justice, 43-year-old Thomas Niemeyer was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release once his prison sentence concludes.

Authorities arrested Niemeyer in Covington, Kentucky after he reportedly initiated conversations with whom he believed was a 13-year-old girl through an online dating app. Niemeyer was actually communicating with an undercover FBI agent who was conducting online proactive child exploitation investigations on apps known to be used by minors and people like Niemeyer, who have a sexual interest in children, according to officials.

The Department of Justice said Niemeyer asked about the girl’s sexual experiences, discussed engaging in sexual activity with her, asked for nude photographs, sent sexually explicit photographs and videos, and mailed the undercover agent a sexual device.

A federal grand jury in Nashville indicted Niemeyer in August 2021; he pleaded guilty in October 2022.