Southern California man sentenced to 120 years to life in child pornography case
Defendant sexually abused an infant relative for more than a year
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Los Angeles-area man was sentenced Friday to 120 years to life in state prison for sexually assaulting a toddler relative and possessing over 220,000 pornographic photos and videos of prepubescent children.
Ryan Michael Booth, 32, of Long Beach, was convicted by a jury in March of eight counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration with a minor 10 years or younger and five felony counts of using a minor for sex acts. In addition to the 120 years to life sentence, the judge also imposed an additional prison term of eight years and four months for the child pornography charges.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations; the Los Angeles Police Department; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the Department of Children and Family Services.
“This sentence should serve as a powerful deterrent to child predators who mistakenly believe the internet will enable them to indulge their perverse desires with impunity,” said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles. “HSI will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners here in the U.S. and around the world to hold these dangerous sexual predators accountable for their actions.
The investigation in this case was initiated in September 2014 after HSI special agents received information from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police regarding an individual who was utilizing an image sharing website to post pornographic images of a 2-year-old toddler. Investigators were able to verify the defendant’s internet address as well as his place of residence. Subsequently, Task Force investigators executed a state search warrant at Booth’s home, where he admitted sexually abusing his 2-year-old relative, producing images of the molestation, and distributing those images to multiple individuals online. Following the search, Booth was arrested and booked into state custody on a $1 million bond.
At the sentencing hearing in California Superior Court, the victim’s father told the defendant that he “will never touch another child again.” The baby’s grandmother added, “There is no mercy for you – she will carry (this) with her for her whole life.”
The charges in this case are a product of 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 14,000 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 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
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