A Canadian man responsible for a years-long online sextortion campaign targeting children across the United States has been sentenced to 33 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ramanan Pathmanathan, 40, of Toronto, received the sentence in Washington, D.C., after pleading guilty to multiple charges related to child exploitation, coercion, and production of child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors said the operation ran from 2014 until his arrest in 2021 and involved at least 145 identified victims, many of them minors from the United States.
According to court records, Pathmanathan used fake identities on social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and video chat services to pose as a teenage boy. Investigators said he carefully manipulated victims into trusting him before pressuring them into sending explicit images and participating in recorded video chats.
Federal prosecutors said the suspect relied heavily on intimidation and blackmail to maintain control over victims. If children attempted to cut off contact or refuse demands, he allegedly threatened to send explicit content to family members, classmates, or friends through social media and messaging apps.
Authorities described the case as one of the largest and most disturbing sextortion investigations handled by the FBI. During searches connected to the investigation, law enforcement officers reportedly uncovered thousands of exploitative images and videos stored on the suspect’s digital devices. Prosecutors also stated that Pathmanathan was actively communicating with a victim only hours before his arrest by Canadian authorities in March 2021.
Court documents revealed some victims were as young as six years old. Prosecutors further alleged the suspect directed certain victims to engage in disturbing acts during live video sessions while secretly recording the abuse for future extortion and storage.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the defendant “spent years methodically hunting children online” and inflicted severe psychological trauma on victims and their families.
The 33-year federal prison sentence will be served consecutively to a separate 12-year sentence already imposed in Canada for related crimes. In addition to prison time, the court ordered 10 years of supervised release after incarceration and mandatory registration as a sex offender.
The investigation involved the FBI Houston Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force alongside Canadian law enforcement agencies and the Texas Department of Public Safety.