Kyle J. Ratta, 34, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses in Kentucky

A Ballard County man has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for child pornography charges. The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Louisville Field Office.

According to court documents, Kyle J. Ratta was sentenced to 5 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for one count of attempted receipt of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

Ratta communicated online with an undercover law enforcement agent he believed to be 14 years old, and during those communications, he attempted to receive a sexually explicit image. Law enforcement subsequently recovered over 200 images of child pornography that were saved in file folders on a computer Ratta used.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond McGee, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Office, prosecuted the case. This case was investigated by the FBI Hopkinsville Satellite Office.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the government to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

The federal system does not offer parole. Ratta’s prison sentence and supervised release are the result of his conviction on the specified charges. The public can find more information about Project Safe Childhood at www.usdoj.gov/psc and about internet safety education by visiting the same website and clicking on the tab “resources.”

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