OAKLAND – Ryan Michael Kannett was sentenced to 188 months in prison for possessing and distributing child sex abuse material, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., U.S. District Court Judge.
Kannett, 39, of Fairfax, pleaded guilty on March 16, 2022, to possessing child pornography and distributing child pornography. According to the plea agreement, Kannett admitted that between December 6, 2019, and December 9, 2019, he used the Kik messenger app to distribute several electronic files over the internet that contained both video and still images of sexually explicit material involving children. Kannett further admitted that he possessed over 600 images of child sex abuse material; the materials included images that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct, involved prepubescent minors, and depicted sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.
In addition, court documents established that Kannett used the handle “Sir Sicko,” among others, to engage online with an individual whom he believed to be interested in child pornography. The individual was, in fact, an undercover agent. Kannett provided the agent with several videos and images depicting sexual acts with minors and expressed a desire to rape and murder two women. Kannett told the undercover agent that he and the agent should do a practice run by raping and killing children, of any age, before killing the two targeted women. Law enforcement agents traced the IP addresses from which the electronic files were sent to Kannett’s residence in Fairfax. Agents executed a search warrant at that residence and recovered a tablet device that contained approximately 454 videos depicting child pornography, including videos depicting minors forced to engage in bestiality and bondage. One video was approximately 8 minutes long and showed an adult female sexually and physically abusing a girl who appeared to be between 2 and 5 years old.
On January 11, 2022, Kannett was charged by information with one count of possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2), and one count of distribution of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2252(a)(2) and (b). Pursuant to his guilty plea, Kannett pleaded guilty to both counts.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Gilliam ordered the defendant to serve 15 years of supervised release that will begin after the prison term is concluded. The defendant has been in custody since his arrest on December 17, 2019, and will begin serving his sentence immediately.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis James is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Karina Ruiz and Maria Sunga. The prosecution was the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations.