Celeste Ramirez, a former corrections officer from Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for distributing child pornography. The sentence, handed down by United States District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl, also includes 10 years of supervised release and $38,000 in restitution. United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the sentencing.
Ramirez faced charges following a March 2023 indictment and pleaded guilty earlier this year. Under federal and state law, she must register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Court documents reveal that in February 2022, while employed by the New York Department of Corrections, Ramirez distributed six videos depicting child pornography through Telegram to an individual identified as Person 1 in Easton, Pennsylvania. The investigation into Ramirez began when Pennsylvania State Police received a Cybertip about Person 1's involvement in distributing child pornography via Snapchat.
Federal agents searched Ramirez's residence in November 2022 and discovered hundreds of child pornography videos on her phone. She had been communicating with several individuals online to distribute and receive such content.
Among those involved was Cleveland Dewayne Chambers, who shared images he received from Raven Pointer with Ramirez. Chambers had informed Ramirez about Pointer offering to produce explicit images of an infant. Ramirez allegedly directed Chambers to have Pointer film specific acts with the infant.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. It involves collaboration between federal, state, and local agencies to apprehend offenders and rescue victims.
The investigation was conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police and Homeland Security Investigations, with Assistant United States Attorney Priya De Souza prosecuting the case.
