He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 14.
Credit: Butler County Jail
Credit: Butler County Jail
Beginning in 2007, Roberts is accused of sexually abusing at least one minor and communicating online with many other minors around the world to produce child pornography, according to federal court documents.
“Specifically, between 2007 and 2008, Roberts sexually abused an 11- to 12-year-old boy and took photos of the abuse on a Polaroid camera. Roberts eventually created digital images of the Polaroids and kept the original Polaroids in his home until law enforcement seized them in 2022,” the release stated.
As part of his plea, Roberts admitted to pretending to be a teenage girl online to entice and coerce minor boys to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves.
The FBI identified 44 minor victims, mostly between the ages of 11 and 14, in the child pornography Roberts created. Those 44 minors are depicted in more than 400 images and videos. However, many more victims remain unidentified, the release stated.
Production of child pornography is a federal crime punishable by a range of 15 to 30 years in prison. Coercing a minor carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.
Roberts remains held in the Butler County Jail.
A message seeking comment was left with his federal defense team.
About the Author
