ASHEVILLE, N.C. – In a devastating blow to child safety, Todd Andrew Riley, a 45-year-old man from East Flat Rock, N.C., was sentenced to 14 years in prison for receipt of child pornography, as announced by Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Riley was also ordered to serve a lifetime under court supervision, to register as a sex offender after his release from prison, and to pay a $10,000 fine and $68,200 in restitution.
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, in June 2019, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was alerted to an individual, later identified as Riley, using the Kik messaging application to receive child pornography. On June 25, 2019, HSI agents met with Riley who admitted to using Kik and other messaging applications and online platforms to view and receive child pornography.
A forensic examination of Riley’s electronic devices revealed that he possessed thousands of images and hundreds of videos of child pornography, some of which depicted the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants.
On August 12, 2022, Riley pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Solheim of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution for the government.
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 in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. The initiative marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet.
Riley’s sentence serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of engaging in such heinous crimes. The community can take solace in knowing that those who prey on the vulnerable will be held accountable.
Related Federal Cases
- Jonathan Wheeler Johnston, Receipt and Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography, North Carolina 2023 · Michigan
- Jordan Lee Adams, Child Pornography Production, North Carolina · Virginia
- Roland Vance Watson, Child Pornography Production and Sex Abuse, North Carolina 2023 · Arkansas
- Roland Vance Watson, Child Pornography, North Carolina 2024 · Alaska
- Matterson Xavier Rusyn, Child Pornography Hoard, North Carolina 2023 · Arkansas
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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