Ryan Michael Spencer, Child Pornography, California 2018

Ryan Michael Spencer, 21, Sentenced to 30 Years for Child Pornography

San Francisco, CA - In a shocking case of child exploitation, Ryan Michael Spencer, a 21-year-old babysitter from Aptos, California, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for production of child pornography, conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography, and related charges.

Spencer pleaded guilty to the charges on October 10, 2018. According to court documents, the FBI began investigating Spencer after a witness reported that his co-defendant, Bryan Petersen of Tiburon, had child pornography on his computer and in a Dropbox account. The FBI executed a search warrant at Petersen's residence and discovered that Petersen had received thousands of images and videos containing child pornography from Spencer.

Further investigation revealed that Spencer had been taking and exchanging pornographic images of children he had babysat, including by raping one boy who was less than 10 years old at the time. The FBI also found that Spencer had tens of thousands of images and videos of child pornography on his external hard drive, including images of children's genitalia taken surreptitiously.

Spencer's iPhone contained thousands more images of child pornography, including images of himself molesting a minor. The court ordered Spencer to decrypt his devices, but he refused until he was held in civil contempt and fined $1,000 per day.

On May 31, 2018, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Spencer with conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography, production of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. In addition to the 30-year prison term, Judge Charles R. Breyer imposed a 15-year term of supervised release and ordered Spencer to pay restitution to the victims in an amount to be determined at a later hearing.

The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie D. Garcia with the assistance of Tong Zhang. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Separately, Bryan Petersen, Spencer's co-defendant, pleaded guilty to all charges pending against him on July 28, 2017. His sentencing is scheduled for August 21, 2019.

Mandatory Facts:

• Defendant: Ryan Michael Spencer
• Criminal Charges: Production of child pornography, conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and criminal contempt
• City and State: Aptos, California
• Exact Date: October 10, 2018 (sentencing), April 2017 (arrest)
• Sentence: 30 years in prison, 15-year term of supervised release, and restitution to be determined
• Dollar Amounts: $1,000 per day in fines

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/aptos-babysitter-sentenced-30-years-prison-production-child-pornography-conspiracy