Weber County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison After he Enticed a Minor via Social Media for Sexually Explicit Photos

ST. GEORGE, Utah - A Weber County, Utah, man was sentenced to 120 months' imprisonment today after he manipulated a child into taking sexually explicit photos and videos and sending them to him over the course of six months.

The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen, comes after Tyler Justin Pitt, 28, of Ogden, Utah, pleaded guilty on February 23, 2026, to coercion and enticement, and receipt of child pornography. In addition to his term of imprisonment, he was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made at Pitt's change of plea and sentencing hearings, between January 2024 and July 2024 Pitt systematically groomed and exploited a child he met on Snapchat to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and send to him. In many of Pitt's messages to the victim, he discussed his intention to sexually abuse the victim and repeatedly asked the victim for nude photos and videos. Pitt also sent nude photos and videos of himself to the victim.

On August 28, 2024, a search warrant was executed on Pitt's residence. During the search, law enforcement seized Pitt's electronic devices, including his iPhone and found his communication with the victim. Based on Pitt's phone contents, Pitt's interaction with the victim was not a singular incident but instead part of a larger pattern of child exploitation offenses. Law enforcement found additional exchanged images and videos with numerous females. In addition to Snapchat, Pitt used Omegle, WhatsApp, and Discord to exchange these messages and videos. Pitt's cellphone also had 22 images of child sexual abuse material, not depicting the victim, which he appeared to receive over X/Twitter. These sexually explicit photos of minors included depictions of prepubescent children. Pitt's phone also included multiple search terms indicative of child sexual abuse material.

"My office's priority, along with this administration, is the safety of our communities, especially children, and to remove child predators like Pitt from society," said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. "Anyone who preys on the most vulnerable among us will be investigated by our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners and aggressively prosecuted."

"Children deserve to grow up safe. In this case, a child will have to carry the lasting impact of Mr. Pitt's actions," said Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI. "The FBI and our partners will use every available resource to protect children and pursue those who try to exploit them."

The case was investigated jointly by the St. George City Police Department, Washington County Sheriff's Office, and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, St. George Resident Agency.

Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Burton of The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.