Former Athens mayor sentenced for child sex crimes

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - The former mayor of Athens was sentenced to federal prison for child obscenity violations Wednesday.

James Monte Montgomery, 65, pleaded guilty in federal court on Aug. 25, 2022, to sending obscene materials to a child. Montgomery received 60 months federal confinement for the charge.

Montgomery was arrested on June 3, 2021 following a sting operation by federal investigators, according to a U.S. Attorney’s press release. The release stated that Montgomery had solicited sex online with investigators posing as minors, and was arrested upon arriving at an undisclosed location to meet with who he believed to be a 15-year-old girl. He had been communicating with the undercover investigators since June of 2020, the release said.