A co-founder and former CEO of the Twin Cities non-profit LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance has been charged with possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) after thousands of images were located during a search warrant late last year.
Ryan Anthony Weyandt (aka Ryan A. W. Hainlin), 39, of Apple Valley, Minn., was charged last month with five felony counts of possessing pornographic works involving minors that resulted from an investigation initiated last November following a tip to law enforcement from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). An IP address associated with Weyandt in West St. Paul had been connected to accessing CSAM, charges say.
The criminal complaint filed in Dakota County District Court states that investigators found thousands of images and videos that depicted what appeared to be minor males engaged in sexual activity or suggestive content, some of the minors appeared to be pre-pubescent.
Weyandt, who in December resigned his CEO position at the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance he co-founded five years, told investigators, “I have an issue. Maybe this is the kick in the ass to get it fixed or treated.” Weyandt also reportedly blamed his activity in accessing the images on unspecified drug use.
Investigators requested the arrest warrant last month, as noted in the criminal complaint, because Weyandt’s Apple Valley home had been recently listed for sale and because Weyandt had made social media posts related to moving out of the country.
Following his resignation from the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, Weyandt became embroiled in a legal battle with the organization over control of the group’s domains, emails, social media profiles, and financial accounts. A federal lawsuit filed on July 1 by the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance claims Weyandt promised but failed to remove himself from the various accounts following his resignation in December, which the lawsuit claims was for “personal reasons, including struggles with addiction and/or dependency.” The lawsuit claims Weyandt “unlawfully took control” of the organization’s 10,000 email newsletter contacts in June and emailed the entire contact list stating that he had “resumed emergency fiduciary oversight of [Alliance]” because “Alliance is currently in a state of collapse.” The lawsuit claims that statement is not true and has harmed their brand.
A judge ruled in favor of the Alliance in late July, ordering that Weyandt must return control of the various accounts to the group and has barred Weyandt from further accessing the remaining financial accounts. U.S. District Court Judge Eric Tostrud said the decision was due in part to the criminal allegations against Weyandt, as reported by HousingWire.
Weyandt is being represented by a private attorney and posted a conditional release bond amount of $150,000 following his initial court appearance and remains out of custody. Weyandt was ordered to relinquish his passport and must not leave Minnesota without the court’s approval, among several other conditions, including no contact with minors. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 14.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.
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Author: Crime Watch MN
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