June 24, 2014

Former Lawrence Resident Sentenced for Distributing Child Pornography

WICHITA, KS—A former resident of Lawrence was sentenced Tuesday to 87 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Christian Curtis, 27, Hays, Kan., pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography. In his plea, he admitted that investigators found more than 1,000 images of child pornography on his computer.

The investigation began in March 2010 when an FBI agent in New York used a peer-to-peer file sharing network to downloaded child pornography from Curtis’ computer. Investigators followed an electronic trail to Curtis’ apartment in the 3100 block of Ousdahl Road in Lawrence. An examination of the computer showed Curtis had been chatting online, posing as a teenage girl. While posing as a girl, he solicited young boys to perform sexual acts.

His sentence will be followed by eight years on supervised release. He also was ordered to pay an $3,000 fine.

Grissom commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Martin for their work on the case.