Crime & Courts

Charlotte man found with videos of children in bondage sentenced to prison, feds say

The Charles R. Jonas Federal Building in Charlotte is shown in this file photo. A Charlotte man was sentenced to prison after the FBI found at least 300,000 images of sexually abused children on electronic devices at his home, court records show.
The Charles R. Jonas Federal Building in Charlotte is shown in this file photo. A Charlotte man was sentenced to prison after the FBI found at least 300,000 images of sexually abused children on electronic devices at his home, court records show. CHARLOTTE OBSERVER FILE PHOTO

A Charlotte man was sentenced to prison after the FBI found at least 300,000 images on electronic devices at his home of children being sexually abused.

Some of the photos and video images showed children 11 and younger in bondage and having sado-masochistic acts inflicted on them, according to a news release Thursday by U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson’s office.

Ricky Grover Aaron, 62, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a lifetime of court supervision after he serves his sentence, according to court documents.

Aaron pleaded guilty Oct. 29 to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained age 12. He is in federal custody awaiting assignment to a prison, prosecutors said.

Ferguson commended the FBI for its investigation. Agents seized the devices and images after executing a search warrant at Aaron’s north Charlotte home in November 2022, court records show.

Aaron also failed to register as a sex offender in Mecklenburg County after he moved from Tennessee, prosecutors said. He was convicted in Tennessee of false imprisonment and aggravated exploitation of a minor and possessing images of sexually abused children.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 11:48 AM.

Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
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