The case honors the late FBI Special Agent Kenya Merritt, whose work helped move the cross-border investigation forward.
HOUSTON, TX— A man accused of targeting children across several countries has been extradited to the United States to face federal charges following an FBI Houston investigation led in part by Special Agent Kenya Merritt, who died last year. Ramanan Pathmanathan arrived in U.S. custody last week after a Canadian conviction and an unsuccessful bid to halt extradition, authorities said.
Federal prosecutors say the case marks a significant step in a widening fight against financially motivated sextortion schemes that surged during the pandemic. Pathmanathan is charged in an 11-count indictment returned in 2022, including 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. The FBI’s Houston-based Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force coordinated with Canadian authorities and investigators in other countries to identify victims and build the U.S. case. Officials said the immediate focus is on securing statements from victims, preserving digital evidence, and preparing for an expected plea hearing early next year.
According to investigators, Pathmanathan, a Toronto resident, used multiple online aliases to pose as a teenage boy and contact youths between ages 12 and 15. He allegedly pressured them to produce sexual images and videos and threatened to release the material if they refused further demands. Toronto police arrested him in 2021, and Canadian court records show he later pleaded guilty and received a 12-year sentence. FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams called Pathmanathan “one of the most prolific child predators and sextortionists” encountered by the field office, saying the suspect “inflicted incalculable misery” on families across the United States. Supervisory Special Agent Torrence White said the case began with victims in Texas and quickly expanded nationwide and overseas as digital records and tips pointed to a broader pattern.
Agents say the scope stretched to at least five countries, with hundreds of potential victims identified in chat logs, account records and storage devices. Investigators described the suspect’s methods as methodical: tracking victims’ personal details, cataloging conversations, and cycling through social media handles to avoid detection. Many of the alleged offenses occurred while schools were operating remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when young people spent more hours online. A mother’s victim-impact statement in Canada described her child’s confusion and humiliation after realizing the person online was an adult, not a peer. Officials cautioned that the full tally of victims remains unknown, noting that some identities are still being verified from seized devices and platform records.
Merritt’s role became central as the investigation crossed borders. Colleagues said he pushed to connect early Texas reports with out-of-state cases and then coordinated with Canadian counterparts for search warrants at the Toronto home. White said Merritt traveled to Canada at least three times to help find victims and collect statements. Merritt, a former Division I basketball player and veteran of a 2010 deployment to Iraq, died at 48 on Oct. 30, 2024, after a fight with lung cancer. Teammates recalled him as relentless on child exploitation cases; White said Merritt urged colleagues to “make sure we get this done” shortly before his death. The extradition, they added, reflects that push.
In the United States, the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., with assistance from FBI Houston and the Justice Department’s specialists on child exploitation crimes. Pathmanathan’s transfer followed his Canadian conviction and the resolution of appeals related to extradition. He is now in federal custody and is expected to appear for a plea agreement hearing in early 2026. If convicted on the U.S. counts, he faces mandatory-minimum penalties and potentially decades in prison. Prosecutors plan additional filings to consolidate evidence gathered abroad, including authentication of foreign records and certifications required under federal evidence rules for digital materials obtained from service providers.
Records from the Canadian proceedings detail a list of online handles attributed to the suspect and describe how he allegedly targeted children who believed they were chatting with a peer. Investigators said he logged victims’ ages, social accounts and followers, and threatened to publicize explicit content if they cut off contact. Authorities credited a combination of social media reports, school referrals and cross-border police work with identifying victims. Williams said the Houston team will continue to reach out through partner agencies as more names are confirmed. “This investigation is not done,” he said, noting that agents are still reviewing devices and cloud backups linked to accounts traced in 2021 and later.
The wider context includes a sharp rise in financially motivated sextortion schemes aimed at boys on social and gaming platforms, according to federal officials. The FBI and Justice Department have launched multi-state operations in recent years to identify offenders and rescue victims, often coordinating all 56 field offices and international partners. Investigators said the Houston case underscores how a single suspect can generate hundreds of leads across jurisdictions. Colleagues pointed to Merritt’s persistence as key to keeping the files moving through interagency reviews, foreign evidence requests, and victim services that can take months or years to align in transnational cases.
Outside court, the moment carried weight for those who worked with Merritt. White said the late agent would have celebrated the extradition loudly. “He would be yelling, ‘We did it,’” White said. Friends described Merritt as disciplined and upbeat, someone who urged daily workouts and strict habits even during long investigative trips. In Houston, agents said the office paused to reflect on the milestone before turning back to casework. A short video segment released by local media showed clips of investigators recounting the yearslong effort and the next steps.
As of this week, authorities say Pathmanathan remains in federal custody pending further proceedings. Prosecutors expect to set a detailed schedule for filings and a change-of-plea hearing in early 2026, with victim notifications continuing in the interim. Officials said additional updates will follow as more digital evidence is processed and new victims are identified.
Author note: Last updated December 11, 2025.