Bethel Elementary Principal Arrested and Charged for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that Christopher Allen Carmichael, 55, a principal working in the Lower Kuskokwim School District in Bethel, Alaska, has been charged with attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.  Carmichael was arrested yesterday, and is currently awaiting his initial court appearance.

Carmichael became the subject of a federal investigation in November 2019, when the Bethel Police Department contacted the FBI concerning Carmichael’s online activities.  During the course of the investigation, Carmichael began engaging in graphic sexual communications with an undercover FBI agent posing as a fictional 13-year-old girl.  The complaint alleges that, in a series of text messages in December 2019, Carmichael described in graphic detail several acts he would do to her that were sexually explicit.  The complaint alleges that Carmichael continued to remind the fictional 13-year-old girl to delete their messages, and that it was really important they keep referring to her like she was eighteen so that he wouldn’t get into trouble. 

If the public has any further information regarding Carmichael’s activities,

please contact Anchorage FBI at (907) 276-4441.

If convicted, Carmichael faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison for the most serious charges alleged.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, the Bethel Police Department (BPD), the Alaska State Troopers (AST), and the Anchorage Police Department (APD) conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Reardon.

The investigation is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by  U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Under the Rural Alaska Anti-Violence Enforcement Network (RAAVEN), the U.S. Attorney’s Office is increasing engagement, coordination, and action on public safety in Alaska Native communities.

The charges in the criminal complaint are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.