(MINNEAPOLIS) – A White Earth man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for producing and attempting to produce child pornography.
According to court documents, 34-year-old Ryan Edward Thompson knowingly used a minor in sexually explicit activity to produce pornography images.
Using her school-issued laptop to message the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the 13-year-old victim disclosed that the defendant began sleeping in her room at night and sexually abusing her. Law enforcement responded and later discovered photographs of a sexual nature had been taken with the victim’s own cell phone.
On February 1, 2024, a federal jury found Thompson guilty of two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography. He was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John R. Tunheim.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Red Lake Department of Public Safety. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the White Earth Nation Indian Child Welfare Services, the Red Lake Nation Victim Services, Fosston Public Schools, Minneapolis Public Schools, and the Family Advocacy Center of Northern Minnesota.
