A 30-year-old Georgia man who tried to slip through the system by moving across state lines without telling law enforcement will spend the next 27 months behind bars.
Tavaris Andre Donaldson, formerly of Madison, Florida, was handed the federal prison sentence for knowingly violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). He had previously been convicted of child molestation back in May 2014 in Lowndes County, Georgia, a crime that triggered a lifetime requirement to register his address and workplace wherever he moved.
While Donaldson originally kept up with his paperwork in Georgia, investigators discovered he absconded from Lowndes County in October 2024. He secretly relocated to Madison County, Florida, where he set up a new life. Employment records pulled during the investigation revealed he landed a local job in early 2025, yet he never notified authorities about where he was living or working.
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Federal law mandates these updates to ensure local police and neighbors know when a high-risk offender moves into the area.
“Convicted sex offenders like this defendant are legally required to register with local authorities when they move to a new location,” U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin said. “This legal requirement is necessary to keep our communities informed of their presence and safe, and my office will ensure those registration requirements are strictly enforced.”
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with the U.S. Marshals Service to track Donaldson down after his disappearance from Georgia.
“There is nothing more important than protecting our nation’s children,” Acting U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal said following the sentencing. “If a sex offender crosses state lines and fails to register, the U.S. Marshals will arrest and bring charges against them for these violations.”
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The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to coordinate local, state, and federal resources against child exploitation.
Once Donaldson completes his 27-month prison term, his freedom will remain heavily restricted. The judge ordered him to serve eight years of federal supervised release, during which his whereabouts and employment will be closely monitored by probation officers.
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