Placer County Man Indicted for Sexual Exploitation Offenses Against a Minor

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Ryan Davidek, 39, of Lincoln, charging him with transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in 2016, Davidek began a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old victim whom he had met online. Over the course of several years, Davidek booked hotel rooms and traveled across state lines, as well as transported the victim from another state to the Eastern District of California, to commit the charged crimes.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Klein is prosecuting the case.

If convicted of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Davidek faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison and a $250,000 fine, and if convicted of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, he faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.