A Manassas resident, Olajide Benjamin Ayilaran, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for crimes involving child exploitation. The charges included providing drugs and alcohol to a minor in exchange for sexual acts and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Court documents revealed that Ayilaran, aged 24, began interacting with a 14-year-old girl during the summer of 2023 through iMessage. He offered the victim substances such as drugs, alcohol, and nicotine products in return for sex acts. Between November 21, 2023, and February 29, 2024, Ayilaran met with the victim on nine occasions. These meetings typically occurred in the morning before the victim attended school. Ayilaran would wait in his car at a nearby park where he exchanged these substances for sexual acts.
Ayilaran recorded these encounters on his cellphone. A forensic examination uncovered 73 sexually explicit images and videos of the victim along with about 1,000 images and videos depicting other minors engaged in similar conduct. Many of these materials were stored in a folder marked with a smiley face emoji.
The announcement of Ayilaran's sentencing was made by Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, alongside Kai Wah Chan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Washington D.C., following sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Halper and Vanessa Strobbe.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project involves coordination among federal, state, and local resources to identify offenders who exploit children via the internet and to rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood or related court documents regarding this case (Case No. 1:24-cr-164), visit the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia or search PACER.