A Toronto man convicted in a major international child exploitation investigation has been sentenced in the United States to 33 years in prison following a lengthy cross-border probe involving Canadian and American law enforcement agencies.
Ramanan Pathmanathan, 40, pleaded guilty earlier this year in a U.S. federal court to offences related to the exploitation and coercion of minors online.
According to U.S. authorities, the investigation uncovered a large-scale online exploitation scheme that targeted numerous young victims over several years through social media and messaging platforms.
Officials stated that the accused used fake online identities to contact minors and manipulated victims into participating in inappropriate online interactions. Investigators allege that threats and intimidation were used in some cases when victims attempted to cut off communication.
American prosecutors described the case as one of the most significant international online child exploitation investigations handled by authorities in recent years.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered that the offender serve a period of supervised release following incarceration and comply with sex offender registration requirements.
Authorities confirmed the U.S. sentence will begin after the completion of a separate prison sentence currently being served in Canada following convictions secured by the Toronto Police Service in 2021.
The investigation involved cooperation between multiple agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Canadian law enforcement officials.
Law enforcement agencies continue to warn parents and guardians about the dangers of online exploitation and are encouraging families to maintain open conversations with children regarding online safety, social media use and communication with strangers online.