A Wilmington man was sentenced on April 7 to over ten years in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Judge Gregory B. Williams handed down the sentence of 121 months to Tyler Ramaley, age 32.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat online exploitation of children and enforce laws against the distribution of illegal materials involving minors.
According to court documents, Ramaley participated in Zoom video chat rooms with other men where they watched, discussed, and engaged in explicit acts involving videos depicting sexual violence toward minors, including infants less than one year old. Authorities said that during these calls, Ramaley streamed his personal collection of such materials for others. After his arrest, the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized and searched his devices under a federal warrant and found additional illicit content as well as conversations about exploiting children.
U.S. Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace said, “Every time Tyler Ramaley watched a video of a child being sexually abused—and every time he helped another person do so—he was victimizing that child all over again. My Office will never stop pursuing those who hurt children, even if we need to chase those offenders through the darkest corners of the internet. I thank our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, whose excellent investigative work led to the arrest and conviction of this dangerous offender.”
FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul said: “The FBI investigates crimes of violence and sexual abuse against children as a top priority. The sentencing of Tyler Ramaley for having knowingly received, possessed, and shared videos of child sexual abuse material will hopefully provide a degree of relief to Ramaley’s victims. Ramaley victimized the most vulnerable members of our society, and the FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force will vigorously pursue anyone who commits such crimes.”
Upon release from prison, Ramaley must register as a sex offender.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force with help from New Castle County Police Department, Delaware State Police, and Chester County District Attorney’s Office; Assistant U.S. Attorney Claudia L. Pare prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006—to address growing concerns about child exploitation online.