Sentinel staff report–
Another man from Citrus Heights has been sentenced as part of a nationwide initiative to crack down on child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Ryan Kent Wheeler, 39, of Citrus Heights, was sentenced on March 21 to serve 20 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release, along with the payment of $35,000 in restitution, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday.
Authorities say that between November 2019 and February 2020, Wheeler “set up hidden cameras in a house he shared with the victim to capture nude images of the victim.” He then took still images from the videos and sent them to an online chat group.
After obtaining a search warrant, agents recovered hidden cameras, digital media and other devices, leading to Wheeler being charged with child sexual exploitation.
Authorities said the case stemmed from an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Placer County District Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang, with sentencing handed down by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. The project enlists the help of federal, state, and local resources to rescue victims and prosecute those who sexually exploit children.
In 2019, a 25-year-old Citrus Heights man was also apprehended, as part of Project Safe Childhood, and another Citrus Heights man was sentenced earlier this year in January for sexual exploitation of a 13-year-old neighbor.
