Child predators sentenced in North Carolina ICE investigations
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A federal judge sentenced two North Carolina men to prison Thursday following separate child pornography investigations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Patrick Ronald Silva, 44, of Burnsville, to more than 21 years in prison on production of child pornography charges. Silva was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release, to register as a sex offender, and to pay $6,000 as restitution to his victim.
Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of ICE/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and the Carolinas, and Sheriff Gary Banks of the Yancey County Sheriff’s Office join U.S. Attorney Rose in making today’s announcement.
In June 2014, Silva pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. According to court documents and statements made in court, from May 26, 2012, to June 26, 2012, Silva solicited his co-defendant, Tabatha Black, to produce child pornography of a female minor. Court records indicate that Silva then distributed the child pornography via the Internet and e-mail. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Silva’s residence, and seized his computer and cellular phones. A forensic examination of the seized items revealed that they contained images and videos of child pornography. Silva has been in federal custody since April 2014. Black was sentenced in February 2015 to more than 17 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, after pleading guilty to one count of production of child pornography. The Yancey County Sheriff’s Office provided considerable assistance to HSI through the investigation.
Judge Reidinger also sentenced Robert George Ross Thursday on child pornography charges. Ross, 29, of Old Fort, was sentenced to five years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and was ordered to register as a sex offender. According to court records, in July 2013 in McDowell County, Ross received and possessed images depicting child pornography. Court records show that Ross possessed approximately 800 images of child pornography as well as numerous videos. Ross pleaded guilty in October 2014 to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. He has been in federal custody since April 2014. The case was investigated by HSI, the Yancey County Sheriff’s Office, and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.
In announcing today’s sentences, Acting U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose, Western District of North Carolina, said, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities from child predators. Victimizing innocent children is repulsive and in all instances will receive swift and forceful attention from my office.” Rose also thanked all the law enforcement agencies that investigated these cases for their outstanding work.
“HSI has taken a very aggressive stance against the producers and consumers of child pornography in our communities,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, HSI special agent in charge of Georgia and the Carolinas. “Those who would violate the most innocent among us should know that local officers, federal special agents and prosecutors at all levels are standing shoulder to shoulder to hunt these predators down and put them behind bars.”
The defendants will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
This investigation was conducted under HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
Updated: