Orem Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Production of Child Pornography; Faces Potential 25-Year Sentence

SALT LAKE CITY—Ryan Chase Fox, age 21, of Orem, pleaded guilty in federal court Monday afternoon to one count of production of child pornography, admitting that he coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the conduct.

As a part of a plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors, Fox admitted that on several occasions between July 2010 and October 2010, he used his cell phone to take sexually explicit pictures of a 9-year-old child while the child was sleeping.

Because Fox has a previous conviction for possession of child pornography, he faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years in federal prison for the production conviction. The sentence could go as high as 50 years.

U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups set sentencing in the case for Jan. 17, 2012, at 3:30 p.m.

Fox was charged with production of child pornography and distribution of child pornography in a two-count indictment returned in October 2010 following an investigation by the FBI. He has been in custody since his arrest after a federal magistrate judge found him to be a danger to the community.