A federal judge on Monday sentenced Aaron Samson Riley, 38, to 25 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a 15-year-old and possessing child pornography. Riley, of Madison, Alabama, has been behind bars since his arrest in Nashville in September 2023, after a missing child report out of Alabama in April 2023 set the case in motion, prosecutors said.
Sentence and Plea Deal
On April 24, 2026, Riley admitted to federal counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. Under a binding plea agreement, both sides signed off on a 25-year prison term, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Tennessee. U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. handed down the sentence, ordered a period of supervised release, and required Riley to register as a sex offender.
How Investigators Found the Missing Teen
Prosecutors say the case escalated after the 15-year-old ran away from home in April 2023. A concerned citizen later spotted the teen at a public library in Georgia, which helped investigators track the pair. U.S. Marshals located Riley and the child together in May 2023, according to FOX 17. Authorities say Riley fled again with the teen and was ultimately arrested in Nashville on Sept. 29, 2023, after officers responded to a burglary at an unoccupied home and found the child nearby.
Digital Evidence and Prior Conviction
Homeland Security Investigations agents seized a cellphone from Riley and collected additional electronic devices from his vehicle. Federal search warrants turned up sexually explicit images and videos that prosecutors say Riley produced in Tennessee and other states. The U.S. Attorney's Office also pointed to Riley's 2021 cyberstalking conviction, which involved soliciting sexually explicit images from an 11-year-old relative. "Aaron Riley repeatedly sexually exploited a 15-year-old child and continued his criminal conduct even after law enforcement intervened across multiple states," U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek said in a statement to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Tennessee.
What Comes Next
The court ordered the forfeiture of two cellphones and two tablets that were used to facilitate the crimes, prosecutors said. Restitution for the victim will be set at a later hearing. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, according to FOX 17.
