It started with reports that the former youth tennis coach was using a wooden paddle on some of his students in Alabama.
As law enforcement began investigating the 2018 allegations, they uncovered evidence of sexual abuse starting three years earlier when the coach “took a special interest in a 13-year-old female student,” according to federal prosecutors.
On Thursday, Aug. 8, Leroy Thomas Joyner, Jr. — who was convicted in January of one count of unlawfully transporting a minor across state lines with intent to engage in sexual activity — was sentenced to 300 months in prison, followed by lifelong supervised release, the Middle District of Alabama’s U.S. Attorney’s Office confirms in a press release.
“This significant sentence reflects the harm that Joyner inflicted upon his young and vulnerable victim,” United States Attorney Ross said in a statement. “I am grateful for the courage shown by the victim in coming forward and the diligence of the investigating agencies. Through the actions of all involved, a predator is off of the street and our communities are safer.”
Joyner, who is from Columbus, Ga., and is now 51, previously operated a tennis association in Dale County, Ala., where he coached underprivileged children and teens, per prosecutors.
Over the course of the investigation, prosecutors say law enforcement uncovered years of sexual abuse against a young girl — whose name has been withheld because she is a minor — determining that Joyner had taken her to out-of-state tennis tournaments.
There, he engaged in sex acts with her in multiple states, including Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina, per prosecutors, who said that Joyner also beat the girl “with a wooden board to influence her to obey him.”
The abuse continued until she was 15, when investigators began inquiring in September 2018 over reports that he was beating her with a paddle, per prosecutors.
“Through his position of authority, Joyner targeted young and vulnerable victims,” Ross said in a previous statement about the case, saying that Joyner’s “reprehensible” actions had “caused lasting harm.”
“Safeguarding children from sexual exploitation and abuse is one of law enforcement’s most vital responsibilities,” he added.
As a federal inmate, Joyner is not eligible for parole, according to prosecutors. The judge will determine restitution at a later date.
