The former coach of a south Alabama tennis program for underprivileged children and teens has been sentenced to federal prison following his conviction on a child sex charge earlier this year.

A judge on Thursday sentence 51-year-old Leroy Thomas Joyner Jr. to 25 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, according to a Friday announcement by Middle District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross.

A federal jury in Dothan convicted Joyner, of Columbus, in January on one count of unlawfully transporting a minor across state lines with intent to engage in sexual activity.

Joyner was a tennis coach operating the association in Dale County. Authorities did not release the name of the tennis association.

In September of 2018, authorities said, reports of physical abuse were made to law enforcement alleging that Joyner had used a wooden paddle on some of his students.

“Law enforcement began to investigate these reports and found much more than physical abuse,’’ Ross said.

Investigators discovered that, in late 2015, Joyner took a special interest in a 13-year-old female student and began taking her out of state to play in tennis tournaments.

Testimony during Joyner’s trial indicated that he engaged in sex acts with the minor in multiple states, including Georgia, Louisiana, and South Carolina.

The exploitation continued until the reports of abuse surfaced in 2018. At that time, the victim was 15.

Joyner in 2022 was indicted on a state charge of second-degree rape but Dale County prosecutors ultimately dismissed the charge.

Joyner was immediately taken into custody following his January conviction.

“This significant sentence reflects the harm that Joyner inflicted upon his young and vulnerable victim,” Ross said. “I am grateful for the courage shown by the victim in coming forward and the diligence of the investigating agencies. Through the actions of all involved, a predator is off of the street and our communities are safer.”

“Yesterday’s sentencing was the result of law enforcement’s collective efforts to protect the children in our communities,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Dale County Sheriff’s Office for their work on this investigation.”

The FBI Mobile Field Office and the Dale County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell T. Duraski, Tara S. Ratz, and B. Chelsea Wilson prosecuted.