NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Groton man has been charged by federal criminal complaint with receipt and distribution of child pornography, soliciting child pornography, and possession of child pornography, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Ryan Cameron, 21, appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in New Haven on Thursday. Prosecutors say he has been detained in state custody since being arrested on unrelated state charges on May 20.
Court documents allege that Cameron was convicted in 2023 in state court for the illegal dissemination of intimate images of a 15-year-old girl. In April 2024, Cameron was on state probation. Prosecutors say his probation officer conducted a home visit and discovered Cameron possessed a cell phone, violating his probation conditions.
Cameron allegedly admitted to his probation officer that there was child pornography on the phone, and a forensic examination of the phone discovered videos and images constituting child pornography, the release says.
According to prosecutors, the phone also contained messages between Cameron and individuals on applications showing him soliciting and distributing child pornography.
The release says that the charges of receipt and distribution of child pornography and soliciting child pornography result in a mandatory prison sentence of up to five years and a maximum term of 20 years imprisonment. The charge of possession of child pornography could send Cameron to jail for a maximum of 20 years.
The U.S. Attorney emphasized in the release that a complaint is only a charge and not evidence of guilt.
“Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” the release says.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with help from the New Haven Police Department.
The prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which works to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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