United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced
the sentencing of RYAN THOMAS FEINE, 35, to 456 months in prison for production
and attempted production of child pornography, followed by 20 years of
supervised release. FEINE, who pleaded guilty on October 7, 2019, was sentenced
today before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Tunheim described FEINE’s
criminal conduct as “certainly horrendous,” and further noted that the case
was, “among the worst I’ve ever seen.”
“This is one of the most egregious cases of child sexual
abuse my office has prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “We will
never shy away from difficult cases such as this, we are committed to pursuing
justice for innocent children.”
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed
in court, between February 10, 2013, and September 10, 2013, FEINE created
multiple video recordings of his sexual abuse of Minor A, who was less than one
year old at the time. During the same time period, FEINE also produced sexually
explicit images of Minor B, who was approximately five years old at the time.
FEINE came to the attention of law enforcement in August 2018, based on an
allegation of ongoing sexual abuse.
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed
in court, in August 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant on several
of FEINE’s electronic devices, which revealed more than 1,000 images and 150
videos of child pornography. The National Center for Missing or Exploited
Children subsequently identified the defendant as the creator of a multi-part
child pornography series that has been distributed across the country.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a
nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual
exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led
by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and
Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local
resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit
children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more
information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit
www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
If you know of any child who may have been a victim of
exploitation, please call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children
(NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit NCMEC’s web site at
www.missingkids.com.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by
the FBI, the Winona Police Department, and the Winona County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan L. Sing and Melinda A.
Williams prosecuted the case.
Defendant Information:
RYAN THOMAS FEINE, 35
Winona, Minn.
Convicted:
Production and
attempted production of child pornography, 2 counts
Sentenced:
456 months in
prison
20 years of
supervised release
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