Ampless Ray Lilly, aged 52 from Huntington, has been sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release. The sentence comes as a result of his conviction for possession of child pornography and violating probation.
The court documents reveal that between February 20, 2023, and April 23, 2024, Lilly deliberately downloaded around 2,900 images and 1,100 videos containing child pornography. He accessed this content on his mobile phone via the internet from his home in Huntington. Lilly acknowledged that the pornography contained depictions of prepubescent minors in sexually explicit situations, as well as instances of violence involving minors. Furthermore, he admitted to sharing these images and videos online.
Lilly's criminal history includes a guilty plea to first-degree sexual assault in Lincoln County Circuit Court on January 22, 1993, which classified him as a registered sex offender. Concurrently, he was serving a five-year probation period imposed on November 13, 2023, following a guilty plea for being a felon in possession of a firearm in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on August 14, 2023. The current sentence also involves an additional two years and three months for his offense committed during probation.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston, who praised the efforts of the West Virginia State Police in the investigation.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers delivered the sentence, while Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price led the prosecution.
The case was conducted under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative to address the growing problem of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program is managed by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. It combines federal, state, and local resources to prosecute child sexual predators and ensure the safety of victims. More details on Project Safe Childhood can be accessed via www.justice.gov/psc.
Further details and related court documents are available on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia and through PACER by searching case numbers 3:25-cr-15 and 3:23-cr-9.
