If convicted of all offenses, Thomas faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
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Soto was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 8, 2018, and was convicted by a jury following a week-long jury trial in Rapid City in April 2021. Between February 2014 and April 2018, Soto engaged in prolific sexual activity with numerous minors over the internet, including demanding
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Duchesne, who has a prior conviction relating to the possession of child pornography, faces at least 15 years and up to 40 years in prison, and at least 5 years of post-imprisonment supervised release, when Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy sentences him on January 11, 2022.
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Investigators determined Besta and Brewer would instruct the minors how to advertise, solicit, and charge for commercial sex acts in the District of Nebraska and elsewhere. They obtained commercial sex customers for the minors by purchasing
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“Ronald Zenga committed heinous crimes and had the audacity to brag about his exploits online—hubris which ultimately led to his arrest. The abuse and exploitation of children is deeply cruel, violating the trust and safety of victims and generating trauma that may never fully heal.
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“This is a particularly egregious case involving an adult using popular social media apps to prey on and exploit dozens of children,” said Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk. “I commend the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office and the investigators with the Rochester Police Department and the FBI for aggressively pursuing this sexual predator and holding him accountable for
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Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa M. Marangola, who is handling the case, stated Kiwitt is a registered sex offender who committed this offense while on probation in Monroe County. This investigation commenced in January 2019 after Rochester
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Schulein was unemployed and for years actively participated in online forums where he interacted with people who were producing child pornography. Judge McGlynn noted some of the images and videos collected by Schulein depicted children in bondage and adults raping children including 5- year-old girls and toddlers.
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Blake drove to a pre-determined location in Broome County to meet and have sex with the children. He brought with him vibrators and birth control as well as necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and stuffed animals he planned to give to the children as gifts. Blake was then encountered by law enforcement and arrested.
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