A recidivist sex offender, Ricky Grover Aaron, 62, from Charlotte, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 120 months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to his prison sentence, Aaron will serve a lifetime of supervised release and is required to pay restitution to his victims.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in North Carolina played a significant role in this case. Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in announcing the sentence.
Court documents reveal that Aaron was identified during an undercover online investigation aimed at individuals sharing CSAM via peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. Investigators discovered that Aaron used a BitTorrent application to distribute CSAM files from his electronic devices. In November 2022, a search warrant led to the seizure and forensic examination of several electronic devices at Aaron's residence. These examinations revealed over 300,000 images depicting minors being sexually abused and exploited.
During the sentencing hearing, it was noted that Aaron failed to register as a sex offender in Mecklenburg County after moving to North Carolina. He had previous convictions for receipt and possession of CSAM and false imprisonment with aggravated exploitation of a minor in Tennessee. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), convicted sex offenders must register with the Sex Offender Registry Board wherever they work or reside.
Aaron pleaded guilty on October 29, 2024, to possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors or minors under age 12. He remains in federal custody pending transfer to a designated federal facility.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the FBI for their investigation efforts. Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Armstrong prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood—an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The FBI also announced results from Operation Restore Justice—a nationwide effort resulting in the rescue of 115 children and arresting 205 offenders over five days across all FBI field offices.
Among those arrested was Terrell Shawn Anderson, formerly from Charlotte but arrested in Atlanta. Anderson faces charges for distributing and possessing CSAM with potential sentences ranging from five years up to twenty years per count.
“We will aggressively prosecute these cases," stated Russ Ferguson alongside the FBI announcement regarding Operation Restore Justice efforts against child exploitation crimes.
Anderson’s charges remain allegations until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
