A woman who suspected her son-in-law was chatting inappropriately with boys online confirmed the activity by posing as a teenage boy and reaching out to him until he expressed an interest in meeting her for sex.
The man, who told investigators he worked with boys as a volunteer with a Big Brother, Big Sisters program and led a youth group at his place of worship, was sentenced Tuesday to more than a decade in federal prison for distributing child porn.
Court documents show that the wife of Ryan Mitchell Budde, 34, discovered he had been talking with underage boys online and asking for pictures of them. The Clinton man told his spouse he'd stop, but his family suspected he hadn't, according to court records.
"Budde’s mother-in-law took it upon herself to conduct an undercover investigation where she pretended to be a 15-year-old boy and began to communicate with Budde online," court records state. "Budde, within two weeks, expressed an interest in meeting this 'boy' for sex."
ADVERTISING
That interaction led to the end of the couple's marriage and was used as evidence in a case that ended with Budde being sentenced this week to 130 months in prison, court documents show.
His attorney, in court records, maintained that Budde had never had any inappropriate physical contact with a minor.
Budde's nearly 11-year sentence came after he pleaded guilty in July to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. According to a Wednesday news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, Marc Krickbaum, the criminal investigation into Budde began in 2017 after he uploaded 27 files containing child porn to Tumblr.
"Two cellular phones and two laptops belonging to Budde were seized and examined, and a total of 365 images were identified as child pornography and recovered from these devices," the release states.
Authorities say he shared child porn with others online.
Over time, Budde repeatedly chatted with juvenile boys online, and sent at least one explicit photo to a child. He often claimed to be a teenage virgin, court records show.
Budde admitted he had an "unhealthy attraction" to male teens, according to a sentencing document filed last week.
"Budde is a danger and the community needs to be protected. ... Budde systematically integrated himself in areas within the community wherein he would have access to teen boys."
Authorities say there was an allegation of misconduct during his time as a church volunteer — the man was accused asking a teen for a picture of himself in a wrestling singlet.
"Budde’s behavior shows that he is a predator: He habitually attempted to obtain contact with minor males, in the age range in which he is sexually interested, and then engaged in inappropriate behavior."
Police found no evidence that Budde did anything inappropriate as a volunteer, his attorney said in a sentencing document.
Budde has no prior criminal history. One count of possession of child pornography was dismissed at the time of Budde's plea.
One of his victims has requested restitution in the amount of $5,000, which has been added to his sentence, court records show.
Along with prison time and restitution, Budde has also been ordered to serve six years of supervised release following his sentence, pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund and comply with sex-offender registry requirements.
The charges were investigated by the Clinton Police Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to Wednesday's release.
https://www.press-citizen.com/story...ed-soliciting-photos-teens-online/4182444002/
The man, who told investigators he worked with boys as a volunteer with a Big Brother, Big Sisters program and led a youth group at his place of worship, was sentenced Tuesday to more than a decade in federal prison for distributing child porn.
Court documents show that the wife of Ryan Mitchell Budde, 34, discovered he had been talking with underage boys online and asking for pictures of them. The Clinton man told his spouse he'd stop, but his family suspected he hadn't, according to court records.
"Budde’s mother-in-law took it upon herself to conduct an undercover investigation where she pretended to be a 15-year-old boy and began to communicate with Budde online," court records state. "Budde, within two weeks, expressed an interest in meeting this 'boy' for sex."
ADVERTISING
That interaction led to the end of the couple's marriage and was used as evidence in a case that ended with Budde being sentenced this week to 130 months in prison, court documents show.
His attorney, in court records, maintained that Budde had never had any inappropriate physical contact with a minor.
Budde's nearly 11-year sentence came after he pleaded guilty in July to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. According to a Wednesday news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, Marc Krickbaum, the criminal investigation into Budde began in 2017 after he uploaded 27 files containing child porn to Tumblr.
"Two cellular phones and two laptops belonging to Budde were seized and examined, and a total of 365 images were identified as child pornography and recovered from these devices," the release states.
Authorities say he shared child porn with others online.
Over time, Budde repeatedly chatted with juvenile boys online, and sent at least one explicit photo to a child. He often claimed to be a teenage virgin, court records show.
Budde admitted he had an "unhealthy attraction" to male teens, according to a sentencing document filed last week.
"Budde is a danger and the community needs to be protected. ... Budde systematically integrated himself in areas within the community wherein he would have access to teen boys."
Authorities say there was an allegation of misconduct during his time as a church volunteer — the man was accused asking a teen for a picture of himself in a wrestling singlet.
"Budde’s behavior shows that he is a predator: He habitually attempted to obtain contact with minor males, in the age range in which he is sexually interested, and then engaged in inappropriate behavior."
Police found no evidence that Budde did anything inappropriate as a volunteer, his attorney said in a sentencing document.
Budde has no prior criminal history. One count of possession of child pornography was dismissed at the time of Budde's plea.
One of his victims has requested restitution in the amount of $5,000, which has been added to his sentence, court records show.
Along with prison time and restitution, Budde has also been ordered to serve six years of supervised release following his sentence, pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund and comply with sex-offender registry requirements.
The charges were investigated by the Clinton Police Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to Wednesday's release.
https://www.press-citizen.com/story...ed-soliciting-photos-teens-online/4182444002/
