United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio

05/14/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/15/2024 08:53

Former children’s hospital employee pleads guilty to sharing, receiving child pornography

Press Release

Former children's hospital employee pleads guilty to sharing, receiving child pornography

Tuesday, May 14, 2024
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A former Nationwide Children's Hospital employee who treated child burn victims pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to downloading, exchanging and receiving child pornography.

Ryan Ramos, 38, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing and receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. He faces an imprisonment range of five to 20 years in prison.

Ramos worked at Nationwide Children's Hospital from 2018 until 2020 and then at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in the ICU in burn trauma until 2023.

According to court documents, a 2020 FBI investigation in their Brooklyn-Queens office led agents to discover Ramos's participation in a Signal app group dedicated to the exchange of child pornography.

Ramos shared hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including abuse of young boys and infants, to the chat group.

Further investigation into Ramos revealed that, in 2018, he had paid a sexual offender in New York City and received child pornography created by the offender in exchange for his payment. Ramos sent more than $500 via PayPal to the child exploiter.

Ramos's iPhone contained more than 346,000 Signal, Telegram and other online chat messages, in most of which Ramos was distributing, seeking, receiving or discussing child pornography.

Ramos was charged by a bill of information on May 6 and pleaded guilty during his arraignment in federal court this afternoon. He is in custody pending sentencing.

Congress sets the minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

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Updated May 15, 2024
Topic
Project Safe Childhood