DAYTON — A Huber Heights man is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to child exploitation crimes involving more than 40 victims.
Ty Roberts, 38, pleaded guilty to producing child pornography and coercing a minor in U.S. District Court Wednesday, according to a court spokesperson.
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The accusations against Roberts date back to 2007. Court records show it was then that Roberts “sexually abused at least one minor and communicated online with many other minors around the world to produce child pornography.”
Between 2007 and 2008, Roberts sexually abused an 11 to 12-year-old boy. A spokesperson said Roberts took photos of the abuse on the Polaroid camera and then later made digital images of the photos. The original Polaroid photos were seized by law enforcement in his home last year.
“As part of his plea, Roberts admitted to pretending to be a teenaged girl online to entice and coerce minor boys to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves,” the spokesperson said in a release.
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During their investigation, the FBI has been able to identify 44 of the minor victims, mostly between the ages of 11 and 14, that are depicted in more than 400 images and videos. Many more victims in the images and videos remain unidentified.
Sentencing for Roberts will be determined by the Court based on advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A spokesperson noted that production of child pornography is punishable anywhere between 15 and 30 years in prison, while coercing a minor is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison.