Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography
Homeless Man Living in Everett had History of Failing to Register as Sex Offender

A 31-year-old man with a history of sex offense and child pornography convictions was sentenced last week to 15 years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. RYAN C. MINGA pleaded guilty in November 2011 to possession of child pornography. Because of his prior convictions, MINGA faced a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Zilly sentenced him to 15 years in prison and lifetime supervised release on March 1, 2012.

According to records in the case, MINGA was a juvenile in 1997 when he was first convicted in Whatcom County of child molestation. In 1998, he was convicted of failing to register as a sex offender in Whatcom County. In 2004, he was convicted of failing to register as a sex offender in King County. In 2008, MINGA was sentenced to 16 months in custody in California for possession of child pornography, and in 2009, he was again convicted of failing to register as a sex offender in King County.

At the time of his arrest on November 15, 2011, in Everett, Washington, MINGA had once again failed to register as a sex offender and had violated the terms of his probation from the California child pornography conviction. MINGA had a thumb drive and a pawn shop ticket for a laptop computer when he was arrested. On the thumb drive and laptop computer forensic examiners found more than 3,200 images and 40 movies of child pornography. The investigation also revealed that MINGA had been in contact with a teenage boy in Minnesota and had obtained the young man’s high school class schedule.

In requesting a significant sentence, prosecutors noted that MINGA had always quickly reoffended following his prior convictions. “[T]his defendant is a very dangerous individual, with a propensity for committing sex offenses that has not abated over time. There is also a strong need for deterrence in this case, because to date the defendant has shown no capacity for self-correction,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Seattle Police Department, and the Washington State Department of Corrections. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerrod Patterson. Mr. Patterson leads the Project Safe Childhood efforts for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Project Safe Childhood, is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.