The CEO of a US financial company has been fired after being arrested in an FBI sting that allegedly caught him trying to meet someone he thought was a 15-year-old boy on a gay dating app.
Bob Hartheimer, the now-former chief of Tennessee's Evolve Bank & Trust, allegedly attempted to engage in sexual activity with a minor and sent explicit photos of himself online, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The investigation began on October 19, when an FBI employee logged into Grindr while posing as a teenage boy. A user with the handle “Tomm” allegedly messaged the undercover agent, writing, “Hey any chance u would hu (hit up) with an older and chill guy.”
The affidavit says that “Tomm” and the agent discussed meeting in person later that week and continued their conversation on Snapchat, where they talked about sex acts. The suspect allegedly asked for a nude photo of the “boy” and sent a photo of himself naked. Investigators obtained the user's IP address from Snapchat and linked it to an address provided by Comcast, which led them to Hartheimer.
He was arrested in Memphis on October 23 and charged with attempted production of child pornography and transfer of obscene material to a minor, according to a federal warrant.
An Evolve Bank spokesperson confirmed that Hartheimer was immediately dismissed following the arrest. His attorney, Blake Ballin, told CNBC, “Bob's family is aware of the charges. His family loves and supports him and requests privacy during this difficult period in their lives.”
Hartheimer joined Evolve in August 2025, succeeding longtime CEO Scott Stafford, who retired after 20 years. On his LinkedIn profile, Hartheimer described his career by writing, “Over the past four decades, I've led, turned around, and advised institutions across the financial landscape.”
The federal investigation remains ongoing.
Last year, former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was arrested in the US for allegedly running a sex-trafficking ring involving young male models. According to federal prosecutors, Jeffries, 80, along with his romantic partner Matthew Smith and an associate James Jacobson, forced young men into sexual acts by promising them modelling opportunities with the fashion brand.
