A Canadian man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to sexually exploiting more than 100 children by posing online and targeting victims through social media, officials stated last month.
Ramanan Pathmanathan, 40, of Toronto, admitted to producing child sexual abuse material and coercing and enticing minors. He was arrested Dec. 3, 2025, after being temporarily transferred to U.S. custody and has remained jailed pending sentencing.
As part of his plea agreement, Pathmanathan admitted to sexually exploiting more than 100 minor girls over seven years, up to his arrest in Canada. He posed as an American teenage boy on social media and targeted victims ages 11 to 17 across the United States.
Pathmanathan persuaded the minors to engage in sexual acts over video chat and secretly recorded them. He later threatened to share the recordings when victims refused to continue.
In 2022, he pleaded guilty to similar crimes in Canada and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
For the U.S. charges, he faces up to life in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 25 years, fines, supervised release, and restitution of at least $3,000 per victim. Sentencing is set for May 27.