It is about a two-hour drive northwest of Chattanooga to get to Franklin. The Nashville suburb is the home of former NBA player Jim Farmer, who was recently arrested by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in a sex crimes sting operation.
The 55-year-old Farmer was among 16 men arrested during the two-day operation for allegedly seeking sex from minors, the TBI said.
According to an arrest affidavit, Farmer and the other men responded to an adult escort ad. He allegedly spoke to a female undercover TBI agent who identified herself as a 16-year-old. He is accused of agreeing to pay $170 for sex and then arranging to meet the “girl.”
TBI says that when he arrived for the meeting, he was taken into custody and charged with Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act, a Class B felony.
Tennessee felonies are in one of five categories. Along with maximum sentences, they’re listed below:
- Class A: Not more than 60 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine
- Class B: Not more than 30 years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine
- Class C: Not more than 15 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine
- Class D: Not more than 12 years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine
- Class E: Not more than six years in prison and up to a $3,000 fine
According to news reports, Farmer hoped to start a post-basketball country music career by moving to the Nashville area after his six-season NBA career ended in 1994. He recorded and released a 10-song album called “Baby Come On” in the early 2000s.
He was a standout shooting guard at the University of Alabama and was drafted in the first round of the 1987 NBA draft.
A Farmer spokesperson declined to comment on the sex charge.
