Former Cobb County Parks And Recreation Employee Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Child Pornography

ATLANTA - Ryan Hornback, a former Cobb County Parks and Recreation employee who also ran a photography business as a second job, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for producing child pornography. 

“Hornback desired access to more child pornography, and his solution was to produce more on his own to trade in the online community,” said Acting United States Attorney John Horn.  “Victimizing the children he viewed online wasn’t enough, so he tragically brought yet another innocent victim to face the horrors of child porn on a personal level.  This office devotes significant resources to combat child pornography, and will always focus on those offenders who take the despicable step of producing it.”

J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated: “Our community and its children are much more safe with this lengthy prison sentence handed down to Mr. Hornback.  The FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Program will continue to provide significant investigative resources toward those individuals like Mr. Hornback who choose to prey on and exploit our nation’s children.”

According to Acting United States Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: On April 18, 2014, a federal search warrant was executed at Hornback’s residence in Kennesaw, Ga., based on information that he was actively trading child pornography.  During a search of the home, Hornback acknowledged he used a Google email address to send child pornography he produced to another suspect in the state of Washington.  He confessed he liked to trade the images with other people to get more child pornography for himself.  He also acknowledged that he produced sexually explicit images of a minor victim over Thanksgiving in 2013, keeping these pictures on a thumb drive he owned.  FBI agents were later able to identify the minor victim in the case through interviews and other investigative steps.

Hornback, 28, of Kennesaw, Ga., has been sentenced by United States District Court Judge Thomas W. Thrash to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.  Hornback was convicted on these charges on October 7, 2014, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Kurt R. Erskine prosecuted the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.