Editor’s note: This story contains details of sexual abuse of children. The content may not be suitable for all readers.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A Manton, Michigan man was sentenced to serve 90 years in prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty earlier this year to “three counts stemming from his production of child pornography,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Nathan Gary Christensen, 51, was arrested in October 2022 and indicted in February before entering his plea.
Prior to handing down the sentence, Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou weighed in on the case and said it was unlike anything she had seen in her 25 years of being a lawyer and judge. Jarbou went on to say the “exploitation will last forever” and that the damage done will be “life-long” for the victims.
“Mr. Christensen’s sexual abuse of innocent children is horrific,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “This 90-year sentence does not begin to undo the harm he’s inflicted on our most vulnerable. No sexual predator who learns of Mr. Christensen’s fate should experience a moment of ease: we will find you and we will hold you accountable.”
Christensen’s actions were brought to the attention of investigators in September when law enforcement in Australia identified Christensen as a collector and a potential producer of child pornography. After contacting the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in the U.S., law enforcement stateside began investigating Christensen.
After identifying his location, a search warrant was conducted on Christensen’s home and another residence in October. Law enforcement recognized some of the rooms in the locations as the same ones seen in images and videos which featured child pornography, and Christensen was arrested at that time.
Investigators eventually found thousands of images and videos of child pornography belonging to Christensen. Eight victims were identified in the case, including victims with special needs and babies as young as 3 days and 3 weeks old, according to the DOJ.
“These crimes are nothing less than monstrous,” said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar. “My thoughts are with the victims in this case, and it is my hope that today’s sentencing will bring some measure of peace as they heal from these horrific crimes. I would like to thank the Australian Federal Police and the HSI office in Canberra, whose vigilance helped bring this predator to justice.”
Christensen was indicted in February 2023 and eventually entered his plea a month later. Each one of the charges came with a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a statutory maximum of 30 years. Federal law allows for the sentences to be ordered to be served consecutively, leading to the 90-year sentence. If for whatever reason Christensen were to be released from prison, he would be required to be on supervised release for the rest of his life.
In June, Christensen entered a guilty plea in Missaukee County to criminal sexual conduct charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced on those charges next month as part of an agreement where his state sentence will run concurrently with his federal sentence.
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