Richard Lee Devito, 35, of Batavia, Ohio, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography, marking one of the most disturbing cases of online child exploitation to hit the Southern District of Ohio in years. U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott handed down the sentence today, ensuring Devito will spend decades behind bars for a crime that shattered the innocence of more than two dozen minors.
Devito used fake identities and messaging apps to groom and manipulate children as young as eight years old, coercing them into sending sexually explicit photos and videos. Posing as a 13-year-old on platforms like ooVoo and musical.ly, he engaged in over 1,300 pages of chat logs with underage victims across the U.S. and abroad. Authorities say he specifically instructed children to perform graphic sexual acts, including rubbing their genitalia and inserting objects into their bodies—all recorded for his collection.
One victim, an eight-year-old girl from Ohio, was tricked into sending nude videos from her bedroom using ooVoo. Devito, pretending to be a peer, gained her trust before escalating demands. The violation cut deep into the family’s sense of safety. ‘The pictures were captured in my daughters’ bedroom. In a place that we were convinced was safe,’ read a victim impact statement. ‘He broke into our safe zone and he manipulated our girls and I never saw it coming.’
The FBI’s Cincinnati Division led a months-long investigation that exposed the full reach of Devito’s exploitation ring. His digital footprint revealed two separate ooVoo accounts used systematically to target, groom, and abuse minors. Two of his victims lived in the greater Cincinnati area, but the crime spanned international borders, demonstrating how easily predators can weaponize technology to access vulnerable children.
‘The lasting damage of Devito’s crimes goes beyond the creation of sexually explicit videos and images of minor children,’ said U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman. ‘It damages relationships, hurts families, and alters the development of the victim children.’ Glassman emphasized that federal prosecutors will pursue every lead to bring digital predators to justice, warning others that the Internet is not a shield—it’s a trail.
Devito was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release following his prison term. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle J. Healey and Timothy S. Mangan prosecuted the case, with full support from the FBI’s cybercrime unit. Authorities urge parents to monitor their children’s online activity and report suspicious interactions immediately. The Department of Justice says this case sets a precedent: exploit children online, and the federal system will come down hard.
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