CONTACT: Barbara Burns

PHONE: (716) 843-5817

FAX #: (716) 551-3051

Buffalo, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Ronald Caryl, 26, of Silver Springs, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to produce child pornography, was sentenced to serve 200 months in prison and 20 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron J. Mango and Stephanie O. Lamarque, who handled the case, stated that on February 14, 2017, the defendant began communicating on MeetMe.com, a social networking service, with a 23-year-old woman in Nashville, Tennessee. During the conversation, the two began to discuss Caryl providing the woman with $300 to have sex with her. The woman wrote, “just $300 and u do what u want to me.”  The defendant replied, “do you have a young girl who could join I’ll pay more...you into young girls”?  The woman responded, “as long as they r 18 and older,” to which Caryl replied, “Ya I meant younger I’ll pay 6000.” The woman replied, “I can’t put things in her mouth she gets sick she’s disabled.” The defendant went on to say, “show me your daughter,” and then the woman allegedly sent a picture to the defendant. Caryl continued to press the woman to send naked pictures of her one-year-old daughter.

The victim’s mother was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Tennessee. She has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing in federal court in Tennessee.

A MeetMe.com staff member identified the possible endangerment of a minor and illegal content and notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) who in turn notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“The depravity of the conduct by both the defendant and the disabled infant’s mother is unthinkable,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “Child predators, such as the defendant, belong in cages so they cannot continue to victimize children. Parents, such as the victim’s mother, who fail to wrap their arms around their children in order to protect them in the face of such predators, deserve to have those arms handcuffed behind their back.”

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert. Additional assistance was also provided by the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Gregory J. Rudolph, the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David J. Zack, and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James R. Voutour.

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