A federal grand jury has indicted Ricci Lee Wynne on charges related to the production of child sexual abuse materials. Wynne, a 39-year-old resident of San Francisco, made his initial appearance in federal court today.
The indictment, filed on March 18, 2025, alleges that Wynne employed and coerced minor victims into engaging in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating videos and images on or about April 9, 2022, and October 29, 2022.
Wynne has been held in federal custody since December 2024 due to a reported violation of supervised release in another case. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 26, 2025, where he will attend a status conference before Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer.
Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani announced the charges against Wynne.
The defendant faces two counts under 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) for the production of child pornography. An indictment serves as an allegation that crimes have been committed; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Wynne could face a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of up to 30 years per count along with fines reaching $250,000 for each violation. Sentencing would follow consideration by the court based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys E. Wistar Wilson and Eric Cheng are leading the prosecution with support from Soana Katoa and Marina Ponomarchuk. The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from the San Francisco Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Individuals with information pertinent to this case are encouraged to contact the FBI at (415) 553-7400 or via tips.fbi.gov.