White Earth man gets 24 years in federal prison for producing child pornography – Perham Focus

MINNEAPOLIS – A White Earth man has been sentenced to more than 24 years (292 months) in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for producing and attempting to produce child pornography, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Ryan Edward Thompson, 34, aka “Ryan Edward Wayne Townsend,” knowingly used a minor in sexually explicit activity to produce pornographic images in December 2020.

Using her school-issued laptop to message the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the 13-year-old victim revealed that the suspect began sleeping in her room at night and sexually assaulting her. Police responded and later discovered that photos of a sexual nature had been taken with the victim’s cell phone.

On February 1, a federal jury found Thompson guilty of two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography. He was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John R. Tunheim.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Red Lake Department of Public Safety. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of White Earth Nation Indian Child Welfare Services, Red Lake Nation Victim Services, Fosston Public Schools, Minneapolis Public Schools, and the Family Advocacy Center of Northern Minnesota.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006.

Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood leverages federal, state, and local efforts to better identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children online, and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

If you need support with a suicide or mental health crisis, or are worried about someone else, call or text 988 or visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline chat function to connect with a trained crisis professional.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary S. Riverso and Laura M. Provinzino prosecuted the case.

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