A convicted child rapist from Vancouver who traded child pornography with people on Facebook was sentenced earlier this year to 15 years in federal prison.
Ronald Rollings, 55, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to distributing child pornography and receiving child pornography. He was sentenced in May.
In August 2016, Rollings shared 20 images of child pornography and received another 14 images through his Facebook account, according to the statement of facts outlined in his plea agreement. He distributed one particular photo nine different times and sent it to a child victim in Australia, court records state. Of the images described in the plea agreement, all of the victims were boys.
Rollings was convicted of third-degree child rape in February 1996 and first-degree child rape in August 1997. The two victims were boys, ages 10 and 13, according to court documents. Rollings is a Level 3 sex offender, meaning there is a high risk he will re-offend.
The Vancouver Police Department’s Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit received a tip in March 2016 about a Facebook page belonging to Rollings that appeared to be associated with exploitative groups. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office had been monitoring Rollings because of his sex offender status and discovered “questionable material” on his Facebook page, according to a sentencing memorandum.
An undercover investigator posing as a 13-year-old boy messaged Rollings on Facebook, and they began chatting. But not long after starting the sting operation, Rollings’ Facebook page was either frozen or deleted. The investigation was subsequently suspended, the sentencing memorandum states.
Then, in September 2016, police received another tip from Facebook about a second page belonging to Rollings suspected of trading child pornography. Police served a search warrant on Rollings’ person and belongings. And during an interview, he told police that he had several Facebook accounts but said some had been shut down because they were “hacked,” the sentencing memorandum said. He later admitted to receiving and sending images of child pornography.
Rollings was indicted on the two charges in September 2016.
After he serves his sentence, he will have lifetime supervision and must undergo a mental health and psychosexual evaluation and treatment. Rollings will also have to continue registering as a sex offender, court records show.
