Georgia Gym Owner Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Teenagers
STATESBORO, Ga.—The former owner of a fitness and tanning business in Toombs County, Georgia, has been sentenced to 327 months (over 27 years) in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of teenagers, including a 13-year-old girl.
Walter Joey Drew, 43, of Kite, Ga., received the sentence on September 18, 2025, after being found guilty of sexual exploitation.
According to court documents, Drew used his position and access to secretly record sexually exploitive images and videos of minor children. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 17 years old.
The court heard evidence that Drew used his smartphone to record a 13-year-old girl in the bathroom of his home. He took a screenshot of the nude victim and uploaded it to his Apple iCloud account. The victim was a friend of Drew’s own teenage children.
Drew also recorded the same victim in various stages of undress in a private tanning-bed room at the now-closed Legacy Performance Center in Lyons, Georgia, which he co-owned. He saved and uploaded multiple sexually exploitive screen captures from that video as well.
In the federal case, Drew was accused of recording at least six other teenage children. He also faces related state charges in Toombs County and additional charges for separate conduct at a previous residence in White County, Georgia.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Randall Hall ordered Drew to register as a sex offender, pay a $1,500 fine, and serve 20 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
