U.S. Citizen Extradited from the Netherlands for Alleged Crimes Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

FRESNO, CA—A grand jury in Fresno today returned a seven-count indictment charging Christopher David Robinette, 43, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with crimes related to the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

The United States Marshals Service successfully completed the extradition of Robinette from Amsterdam, and he made his initial appearance in federal court in Fresno on December 26, 2012. He is scheduled to be arraigned on January 11, 2013, by United States Magistrate Judge Barbara A. McAuliffe. The United States Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), as well as the Dutch Ministry of Justice, assisted in coordinating Robinette’s extradition to Fresno.

The indictment has charged Robinette with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor on dates ranging from January 2003 through July 2009, one count of transporting a minor in interstate or foreign commerce for purposes of engaging in criminal sexual activity, and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. According to court documents, Robinette traveled from various locations to the Fresno area to sexually exploit a minor and produce digital still and video images of the abuse. The sexual abuse took place over the course of a number of years and in locations including the Fresno area, other locations in California, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Netherlands. Robinette’s crimes were detected shortly after he uploaded images of child pornography, including images he produced, to a Microsoft SkyDrive account. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia, assisted in coordinating information for a law enforcement response.

This case is the product of an investigation by Korps Landelijke Politie Diensten (Dutch National Police), the Amsterdam Amstelland Police Department (Amsterdam local police), and the Fresno Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crimes Task Force that includes participants from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa and CEOS Trial Attorney Maureen Cain are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. Click on the “Resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.