A Berryville man was sentenced Monday, Dec. 18, to more than 41 years in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of Traveling with the Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Acts with two minor males and for Distributing Child Pornography.

Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville that led to the 500-month sentence.

According to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Arkansas, in May 2022, the Arkansas FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force received a lead from the FBI Kansas City Division that a subject under investigation admitted that he was trading child pornography online with an individual later identified as Ricky Gunter Hilburn, 42, of Berryville. Hilburn even bragged about sexually abusing a minor male, according to the release.

A search warrant was obtained and executed at Hilburn’s residence, resulting in multiple digital devices being confiscated and Hilburn being arrested. A subsequent forensic examination of the electronic devices seized from Hilburn’s residence confirmed that Hilburn was trafficking child pornography images to others online, the release said.

Further investigation revealed that Hilburn had groomed two minor males in Oklahoma and traveled across state lines to engage in sexual activity with them, according to the release.

At sentencing, the United States Attorney’s Office presented evidence that Hilburn had groomed a third minor male and engaged in sexual contact with him on multiple occasions, the release said.

Hilburn was indicted by a Grand Jury in the Western District in March and entered a plea of guilty in June.