ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Aaron Ruthey, a 43-year-old resident of Silvis, Illinois, was sentenced on January 17, 2024, to 210 months in prison, followed by a ten-year term of supervised release. Ruthey was convicted for distribution, sale, and possession of child pornography and ordered to pay $67,500.00 in restitution to nine victims.
During the sentencing hearing, the United States provided evidence showing Ruthey’s involvement in advertising and selling an online collection of child pornography. Ruthey has been in federal custody since his arrest on August 17, 2022.
Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow noted at the hearing that Ruthey was not only selling child pornography but was an active participant in its market, exploiting harm to victims. The judge highlighted that Ruthey’s actions, including adding commentary to some of the images, increased their marketability and demand. The content he sold included videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.
Ruthey pleaded guilty to all charges in June 2023. The statutory penalties for distributing child pornography range from five to twenty years of imprisonment, the same as for selling child pornography. For possession of child pornography, the maximum imprisonment is twenty years. Each count also carries potential supervised release terms from five years to life.