A 30-year-old Georgia man will spend the next 27 months in prison for attempting to slip the system by crossing state boundaries without informing law officials.
Tavaris Andre Donaldson, formerly of Madison, Florida, received a federal prison sentence for deliberately breaking the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. He had previously been convicted of child molestation in Lowndes County, Georgia, in May 2014, which resulted in a lifetime requirement to register his address and workplace wherever he moved.
Donaldson initially kept up with his paperwork in Georgia, but investigators learned he fled Lowndes County in October 2024. He discreetly moved to Madison County, Florida, where he established a new life. Employment records obtained throughout the investigation revealed that he took a local job in early 2025, but he never informed authorities about where he lived or worked.
Federal law requires these updates to notify local police and neighbors when a high-risk offender enters 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 explained. “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 collaborated with the United States Marshals Service to locate Donaldson following his disappearance in Georgia.
“There is nothing more important than protecting our nation’s children,” Acting U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal said after 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.”
Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice project that began in 2006 to coordinate local, state, and federal resources against child exploitation.
After serving his 27-month prison sentence, Donaldson’s freedom will be severely restricted. The judge sentenced him to eight years of federal supervised release, during which his whereabouts and job will be constantly watched by probation agents.
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