A citizen of the United Kingdom, who was in Tennessee working as a Director for an Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) program, on Wednesday was sentenced to 19 years in prison for his sexual exploitation of two 17-year-old girls on social media, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
Andrew Worrall, 56, will serve 19 years in federal prison under the sentence imposed last week by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Varlan, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.
The DOJ stated in a press release that Worrall used the social media platform, Snapchat, to communicate with two 17-year-old girls on July 7-8 2025. One of the minors resided within the Eastern District of Tennessee, while the other was in South Carolina at the time Worrall contacted her.
Between June 8-9, Worrall instructed both victims to send nude pictures and videos containing sexual content to his account on Snapchat, according to the DOJ.
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn has called Snapchat “a predator’s dream come true,” and researchers as far back as 2021 found more than 15 percent of children who use the platform experience sexual interactions. More recently, the same team of researchers found Snapchat is a preferred platform for predators to communicate with victims.
New Mexico has also sued Snapchat, arguing its disappearing messages attract sexual predators to the platform.
“The 19-year sentence in this case hopefully brings a sense of justice and dignity to Worrall’s victims and deters others from committing similar crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Francis Hamilton III in the Eastern District of Tennessee. “With our federal, state, and local partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute criminals who prey on and sexually exploit minors.”
In addition to the 19-year sentence, the DOJ press release revealed Worrall was required to sell his home in Farragut, Tennessee, and forfeit almost $250,000 in equity he received from the transaction.
Worrall will also be deported upon the conclusion of his sentence, the DOJ confirmed.
This is the second foreign national, in the United States to work at ORNL, to receive a criminal sentence in as many months.In June, the DOJ announced that a South African Air Force veteran was sentenced to six months in federal prison after pleading guilty to acting as an agent of the Republic of South Africa.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Andrew Waooall” by Andrew Warrall / LinkedIn.
