News

Asheville man sentenced on child porn charges

By Lightning Reports, Published: August 7, 2020

Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced a 41-year-old Asheville man to 14 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to uploading child pornography, U.S. District Attorney Murray announced.

Mance Lee Ruvolo was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release and to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.
According to filed documents and statements made in court, on July 13, 2018, law enforcement became aware that an individual was using an e-mail address to upload images containing child pornography. Law enforcement identified the email account user as Ruvolo, and positively linked to Ruvolo the cell phone used to upload the child pornography. Court documents also show that a review of Ruvolo’s email account revealed additional images and videos of child exploitation, including videos and images of prepubescent children being sexually abused. Ruvolo pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography on January 3, 2020.
Ruvolo is currently in custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
Murray thanked Homeland Security investigators and the SBI for handling the investigation.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice, aimed at combating the growing online sexual exploitation of children. By combining resources, federal, state and local agencies are better able to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue those victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.