A 28-year-old South Ogden man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after convincing a 15-year-old girl he met on Snapchat that they were in an exclusive dating relationship, then coercing her into sending him nude photos and videos over a six-month span. Tyler Justin Pitt pleaded guilty in February to coercion and enticement and receipt of child pornography, and a federal judge handed down the mandatory minimum sentence along with lifetime supervised release.
The investigation opened in May after a sheriff's deputy serving on an FBI task force followed up on a report, according to KSL. That probe led to an initial state arrest in Washington County in September 2024, as reported by KSL. Pitt's federal case is listed as USA v. Pitt, case number 4:24-cr-00090, by PacerMonitor.
Audio Admissions and a Hidden Relationship
Federal court documents show Pitt convinced the victim they were exclusively dating despite having a live-in girlfriend of his own. Audio messages recovered from his phone contained explicit admissions, including the statement “I know it's wrong to be doing this because you're only 16,” KSL reports.
A federal sentencing memorandum detailed that the victim expressed reluctance to transmit the images but complied over the six-month period between January 2024 and July 2024 because she “wanted to be a good girlfriend,” per the same account. The victim was 15. She and Pitt met on Snapchat.
Pitt's phone, seized by law enforcement following execution of a search warrant in August 2024, contained communications with the victim along with multiple search terms indicative of child sexual abuse material, per the Standard-Examiner's reporting. Investigators also found that Pitt used Snapchat, Omegle, WhatsApp, and Discord to exchange messages and videos, and they discovered additional exchanged images and videos involving numerous other females.
Additional Abuse Material Found on His Devices
Beyond the conduct involving the victim at the center of the case, Pitt's cellphone contained 22 images of child sexual abuse material that did not depict her, images that appeared to have been received over X/Twitter, according to a press release cited by the Standard-Examiner. Those images depicted prepubescent children. Prosecutors described Pitt's conduct as part of a larger pattern of child exploitation offenses.
U.S. District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen imposed the sentence. Her nomination was sent to the Senate in January 2024, and she was confirmed unanimously in April 2024. She previously served as a state court judge in Utah's Fifth Judicial District.
Why the Sentence Couldn't Be Lower
Under 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b), coercing or enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity using any facility of interstate commerce carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life, according to the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute. That statute does not require physical contact or an in-person meeting to secure a conviction — digital messages sent across state lines or online platforms are enough to trigger the federal minimum. The statutory minimum is 10 years.
U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak said her office prioritizes the safety of communities, especially children, and that people who prey on vulnerable people will be investigated and aggressively prosecuted. The case was investigated jointly by the St. George City Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff's Office, and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office's St. George resident agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Burton prosecuted the case for the District of Utah.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood.
