Former School Security Guard Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
Ryan Dookhan targeted an eleven-year-old victim on Roblox, according to the Justice Department sentencing announcement.
3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 15, 2026, 12:13 p.m. ET
Earlier reports
Aug 15, 2026, 12:26 p.m. ET
Former School Security Guard Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
Ryan Dookhan, 31, of Jamaica, New York, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the sentencing announcement issued on August 14, 2026 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan. U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey announced the sentence, which was imposed in federal district court by Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou. The announcement states that Dookhan remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
At the sentencing hearing, according to that same record, Chief Judge Jarbou emphasized the serious nature of Dookhan's crimes and the need to protect the public as reasons for the lengthy sentence.
The announcement states that Dookhan was working as a security guard in an elementary school in New York when he targeted an eleven-year-old victim online, first meeting her on Roblox, an online gaming platform, then moving the conversation to a messaging application designed to delete messages. He coerced the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct so that he could produce photographs and videos of her. Over the course of the investigation, investigators determined that Dookhan solicited many sexually explicit photographs and videos from the eleven-year-old victim, with his criminal conduct spanning multiple weeks.
VerHey said he was satisfied with the sentence. "Dookhan deserved this sentence from Chief Judge Jarbou. Anyone who sexually exploits children deserves a lengthy sentence," he said, adding that he hoped the sentence showed that "if someone exploits children in the Western District of Michigan, we will respond decisively and argue for the maximum sentence possible, which Dookhan received."
"Children deserve to be safe online, including when playing games and connecting with others. Online predators exploit trust, anonymity and access to target children, and we all must stay vigilant, report suspicious behavior, and teach children safe digital habits," said HSI Detroit Acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Pierczynski. "It is appalling when someone trusted to protect students abuses that position to prey on them. That betrayal is unacceptable, and we remain committed to protecting children and holding offenders accountable."
Homeland Security Investigations and the Michigan State Police investigated the case. The announcement notes that the prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, which is led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS.
Aug 15, 2026, 12:13 p.m. ETFirst report
School Security Guard Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
According to the sentencing announcement issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan (Justice Department release 2026_0814_Dookhan_Sentenced), Ryan Dookhan, 31, of Jamaica, New York, was sentenced on August 14, 2026, to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor. Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou imposed the sentence in federal district court, and the record states that during the hearing she emphasized the serious nature of Dookhan's crimes and the need to protect the public as reasons for the lengthy sentence. Dookhan remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
The same record states that while working as a security guard in an elementary school in New York, Dookhan targeted an eleven-year-old victim online, first meeting her on Roblox, an online gaming platform, then moving the conversation to a messaging application designed to delete messages. He coerced the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct so that he could produce photographs and videos of her. Investigators determined that Dookhan solicited many sexually explicit photographs and videos from his eleven-year-old victim, with the conduct spanning multiple weeks.
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey, quoted in the announcement, said he was satisfied with the sentence: "Dookhan deserved this sentence from Chief Judge Jarbou. Anyone who sexually exploits children deserves a lengthy sentence. I hope this sentence shows that if someone exploits children in the Western District of Michigan, we will respond decisively and argue for the maximum sentence possible, which Dookhan received."
HSI Detroit Acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Pierczynski said in the announcement that "[c]hildren deserve to be safe online, including when playing games and connecting with others," adding that online predators "exploit trust, anonymity and access to target children." He called it "appalling when someone trusted to protect students abuses that position to prey on them."
Homeland Security Investigations and the Michigan State Police investigated the case, according to the record. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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- Version 115 Aug 2026, 16:26current
First published.
- Version 115 Aug 2026, 16:13current
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- Version 115 Aug 2026, 16:28current
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