Sex Offender Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Crime and Violating Probation

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Ampless Ray Lilly, 52, of Huntington, was sentenced today to 12 years and nine months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography and violating probation.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about February 20, 2023, through on or about April 23, 2024, Lilly knowingly received approximately 2,900 images and 1,100 videos containing child pornography on his mobile phone while accessing the internet from his Huntington residence. Lilly admitted that the child pornography he downloaded included depictions of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and depictions of minor children subjected to sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. Lilly further admitted that he distributed images and videos containing child pornography through the internet.

Lilly is a registered sex offender as a result of his guilty plea to first-degree sexual assault in Lincoln County Circuit Court on January 22, 1993. During the time period of the current offense, Lilly began serving a five-year term of probation imposed on November 13, 2023, after he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on August 14, 2023. Today’s sentence includes two years and three months in prison for committing a crime while on probation.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:25-cr-15 and 3:23-cr-9.

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