White Earth Man Convicted of Producing Child Pornography in Red Lake Nation

MINNEAPOLIS — A White Earth man has been sentenced to more than 24 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for producing and attempting to produce child pornography in 2020 in Red Lake Nation.

According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, 34-year-old Ryan Edward Thompson, also known as Ryan Edward Wayne Townsend, knowingly used a minor in sexually explicit activity to produce pornographic images in December 2020.

The 13-year-old victim said Thompson slept in her room at night and sexually abused her, using her school-issued laptop.

Police arrived at the scene and later discovered that photos with sexual content had been taken with the victim’s cell phone.

A federal jury found Thompson guilty of two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography in February. He was sentenced Monday to 292 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 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.

Project Safe Childhood is led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Division and uses federal, state, and local agencies to better identify, apprehend, and prosecute people who exploit children online, and to identify and rescue victims.

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

People who need support with a mental health crisis or are worried about someone else can call or text 988 or visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline chat function to connect with a trained crisis professional.