British citizen sentenced in North Dakota to 12 years in federal prison for child exploitation

FARGO, N.D. — A British citizen from Wales was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to 12 years in federal prison following his conviction on four counts related to child exploitation and child pornography.

This sentence resulted from an investigation by the following agencies:  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), the North Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), and the Fargo Police Department.

Simon William Riley, 21, of Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom, was sentenced on one count of sexually exploiting a minor, two counts of advertising material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, and one count of receiving child pornography.

This case came to the attention of U.S. law enforcement after INTERPOL and the U.S.-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) notified members of the North Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force that a website on the Tor Network contained child pornographic images of a girl located in Fargo, North Dakota. Subsequently, law enforcement identified a 13-year-old victim who told authorities that she sent the sexually explicit images to another female via Kik Messenger, a social media app.

In reality, the other “female” was Simon Riley, an adult man. After Riley obtained these images, he posted ads on the website found on the Tor Network, which contained a link to a file-sharing site where other Tor users could access the images depicting the victim. Law enforcement determined that the victim’s images were accessed more than 20,000 times by Tor users located throughout the world.

Through further investigation, HSI and BCI special agents identified Simon Riley in the United Kingdom as the individual responsible for posting these ads. Based on information provided to them by U.S. authorities, the National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom executed a search warrant at Riley’s residence Sept. 10, 2015.

Foreign law enforcement recovered evidence, including electronic media, at Riley’s residence which linked him to the user account that posted the ads on the Tor Network, and which contained a link to a separate file-sharing site which contained the victim’s images.  Forensic examination of the media recovered from Riley’s residence in the United Kingdom revealed hundreds of child victims, including a second 13-year-old victim from Fargo, North Dakota.

Immediately following the search of his residence, British and U.S. law enforcement traced Riley to Orlando, Florida, where he was vacationing at the time. HSI special agents arrested him in Florida, and he was transferred to the District of North Dakota to face charges.

During subsequent examination of evidence and interviews with Riley, law enforcement discovered Riley was a prolific poster on the Tor Network site he used to commit his crimes. In addition, he also published a “how-to” guide, describing how to pose online as a young female to gain the trust and acceptance of his victims.

Authorities have identified victims in several U.S. federal districts, and more charges could be levied against Riley.

In addition to his prison term, Riley was also sentenced to serve 10 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $400 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE, or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.