Dozens of teens sent nudes to a ’15-year-old boy’ — but it was really this man, Michigan prosecutor says

A 27-year-old man pretending to be a 15-year-old by the name of “Roman Kalhart” persuaded “as many as 50 to 70” young teens to send him sexually explicit photos over the internet four years ago, and now he’s been sentenced to more time in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Michigan said in a news release.

James T. Pyle, of Allegan, was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to more than 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Pyle was initially facing two counts of enticement of a minor, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of receipt of child pornography, according to the indictment. He accepted a plea deal in May.

Court records said Pyle admitted to persuading a 15-year-old boy in Wisconsin to send him explicit photos. At least 20 victims were outlined in the pre-sentence investigation report, the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said he obtained those photos by posing as a teen on Facebook and befriending “numerous” young teens online.

At the time, in 2014, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Pyle was on probation for a previous felony charge, accosting a child for immoral purposes. By 2015, the court revoked his probation, and he was ordered to spend 33 to 48 months in prison for probation violations, according to MLive.com.

In a pre-sentencing interview, Pyle acknowledged he has a problem and said he felt like “the scum of the earth.”

A sentencing memorandum filed in federal court on Pyle’s behalf indicates he’s receiving group counseling and one-on-one counseling while in prison.

The judge sentenced Pyle to more than 20 years in prison on Wednesday, and also ordered Pyle to serve 10 years of supervised release and pay a $2,500 fine.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, and was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with help from the Michigan Department of Corrections and the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes very seriously cases involving child predators,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge said in a statement. “Those people who would use the internet to hide their true identity to befriend and exploit children deserve the fullest punishment the law provides.”