Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RYAN CAMERON, 22, of Groton, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to a child exploitation offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2023, Cameron was convicted in state court of illegal dissemination of intimate images of a 15-year-old female. In April 2024, while Cameron was on state probation, his probation officer conducted a home visit and discovered Cameron was in possession of a cell phone in violation of the conditions of his probation. Subsequent forensic analysis of the phone revealed that it contained videos of child sexual abuse, and messages between Cameron and others in which Cameron solicited and distributed child pornography. The phone also contained recordings of Cameron sending sexually explicit images and videos of himself to young girls on Snapchat.
Cameron pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Sentencing is scheduled for March 28.
Cameron has been detained since May 20, 2024, when he was arrested on unrelated state charges.
This matter has been investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Lembo.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.