Registered sex offender pleads guilty to federal child porn charges

Rochester, New York – A registered sex offender from Wayne County has admitted to sexually abusing many children, including one as young as five years old, and has entered a plea to federal child pornography charges.

According to the prosecution, between November 2021 and February 2022, Wolcott resident Jacob Ritchie, 36, engaged in sexually explicit online discussions with an undercover New York State Police agent whom he mistook for a 12-year-old child.

Ritchie allegedly demanded that the investigator transmit and generate child pornographic photographs and made an effort to convince the investigator to meet with him for sex. He is also charged with mailing pictures of child pornography showing youngsters as young as 8 having sex with adults.

During a check of his residence, investigators discovered a cell phone that included several child pornographic photographs. Additionally, they discovered that Ritchie had participated in several online discussions where he advocated sexually assaulting children and trading child pornography.

Ritchie, who has previously been convicted three times for child sexual abuse (in 2012, 2016, and 2017), entered a guilty plea to distribute child pornography. A sentence of 15–80 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine are all possible outcomes for the charge. The sentencing date is set for January 10, 2023.