Ampless Ray Lilly, Child Pornography, West Virginia 2025

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A devastating case of child exploitation has unfolded in West Virginia. On February 20, 2023, through April 23, 2024, Ampless Ray Lilly, 52, of Huntington, knowingly received approximately 2,900 images and 1,100 videos containing child pornography on his mobile phone while accessing the internet from his Huntington residence.

Lilly admitted that the child pornography he downloaded included depictions of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and depictions of minor children subjected to sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. He also distributed images and videos containing child pornography through the internet.

This disturbing case is a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance in protecting our children from exploitation. As a result of his guilty plea, Lilly is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5, 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Lilly’s criminal history is marred by a previous guilty plea to first-degree sexual assault in Lincoln County Circuit Court on January 22, 1993. Furthermore, he began serving a five-year term of probation imposed on November 13, 2023, after he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on August 14, 2023. A petition to revoke that probation has been filed and is currently pending.

The investigation into Lilly’s crimes was led by the West Virginia State Police, whose tireless efforts have brought this perpetrator to justice. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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