PEORIA, Ill. – A Tennessee man has been sentenced in federal court in Peoria to several decades in prison for what was described as a “nightmare” he inflicted on a minor.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Ryan Gross, 26, of Johnson City, Tennessee, was given 264 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in April to four counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. That is 22 years in prison.
Prosecutors say starting in late 2020, Gross contacted a minor who lived in this judicial district via the social media network Snapchat claiming he was 16, and asking for sexually explicit photos of the girl. She refused at first, but was eventually talked into it.
Gross allegedly threatened to expose the girl if she didn’t continue to send photos.
A judge reportedly described Gross as “cold, mean, and calculated.”
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