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Press Release

Bonita Springs Man Sentenced To 8 Years In Federal Prison For Distributing Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele has sentenced Christopher Hall (45, Bonita Springs) to eight years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. The Court also ordered him to forfeit the computers he had used to commit the offense. Hall pleaded guilty on November 30, 2015. 

According to court documents, on May 9, 2014, an undercover FBI Task Force agent discovered that Hall was sharing child pornography using a peer-to-peer file sharing network. A federal search warrant was then executed at Hall’s residence and his computers were seized. Forensic analyses subsequently revealed more than 2,500 images of child pornography and 9 videos depicting child pornography on those computers. Hall admitted that he had lived alone and was the only person who had used his computers, and that he never shared his secured Internet connection with anyone. He stated that he began downloading child pornography ten years ago.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI Child Exploitation Task Force.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles D. Schmitz.

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 United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Updated March 23, 2016

Topic
Project Safe Childhood