Ex Director Sentenced To 7 Years For Sexual Exploitation Of Child

WAUKESHA, WI—A former Wauwatosa director of Young Life, a nondenominational Christian group, was sentenced seven years in prison for the sexual exploitation of a child in Waukesha County Circuit Court on Tuesday.

Ryan Soderberg, of Wauwatosa was also sentenced to 11 years of extended supervision and register as a sex offender for 15 years, according to online court records.

Soderberg was charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of soliciting an intimate representation from a minor. He pleaded guilty to child sexual exploitation in July. The second charge, soliciting an intimate representation from a minor, was dismissed and read in, online records said.

Authorities say Soderberg used the Instagram name "sammyisabaddy" to assume the identity of a female, targeting early-teen boys and requesting they send nude images to him. He used a photo of a blonde woman for his profile, the criminal complaint said.

Soderberg told detectives he struggled with a pornography addiction but denied viewing any inappropriate images. Police discovered Soderberg searched for "young boys" on a pornographic website during their investigation, according to the complaint.

Scott Anderson, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.