Sextortionist sentenced to 33 years for targeting 145 children
Source: Bleeping Computer
Sentencing
40‑year‑old Ramanan Pathmanathan pleaded guilty on January 30, 2026 to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of child‑pornography production. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison, must register as a sex offender, and serve 10 years of supervised release. He is already serving a 12‑year term in Canada after a 2022 guilty plea to similar offenses.
Sextortion Scheme
Sextortion involves online blackmail where perpetrators threaten to publicly release explicit images or videos unless victims pay or comply. In Pathmanathan’s case, court documents show he used multiple Instagram and Facebook Messenger accounts to record victims engaging in sexual acts.
- Timeframe: March 2014 – March 10, 2021 (arrest)
- Victims: At least 145 children across the United States, some as young as six years old.
- Method: Posed as a teenage boy from New Jersey, demanded explicit video‑chat conduct, and threatened to send recordings to the victims’ friends and family if they refused or blocked his accounts.
- Abuse: Directed minors to expose genitals and engage in sexual acts with dogs, siblings, and other relatives; sent them adult sexual images to demonstrate the requested behavior.
- Recording: Saved the victims’ explicit conduct on his desktop computer.
The Justice Department described the scheme in detail, noting the extreme nature of the demands and the threats used to coerce compliance.
Legal and Enforcement Context
- FBI Warning (September 2021): The FBI reported a massive increase in sextortion complaints and advised anyone receiving such threats to cease all interaction, contact law enforcement, and file a complaint promptly.
Read the FBI advisory