Date: 06-12-2021

Case Style:

United States of America v. Raul Ayala, Jr.

Case Number: 5:19-cr-00004-BO-1

Judge: Terrence W. Boyle

Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (Wake County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: United States District Attorney’s Office

Defendant's Attorney:

Raleigh Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory

Description: Raleigh, North Carolina criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with production of child pornography.

Raul Ayala, 72, of Angier, was charged with felonies when a prepubescent minor victim disclosed to his parents that Ayala had sexually molested him. When investigators interviewed Ayala, he admitted molesting that victim and also admitted exploiting other victims as far back as the 1970s.

A search warrant was executed at Ayala’s residence and multiple digital devices were seized. During the search, law enforcement located in Ayala’s attic a hidden briefcase, suspended by a pulley system, that contained both adult pornography and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The briefcase contained tri-fold advertisements for child sexual abuse videos that included pictures of children engaged in sexual acts with adults. The briefcase also contained numerous nude Polaroid pictures of minor victims dating back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. Seized digital devices also contained numerous CSAM images and videos. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents were able to track down and identify one of the boys depicted in the Polaroids. He is now in his 50s and disclosed that Ayala had sexually abused him when he was a minor, beginning when he was 8 years old.

HSI, the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fuquay-Varina Police Department investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina prosecuted the case.

Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In addition to his prison term, Ayala was sentenced to a term of five years of post-incarceration supervised release. A restitution hearing may be scheduled in the future.

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Defendant's Experts:

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