MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A man from Eagan was sentenced to 17 years in prison for producing child pornography and exploiting children in multiple countries.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the State of Minnesota says Christopher Robert Nelson, 45, will serve 204 months behind bars followed by five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in November 2025.
Court documents show Nelson convinced an 11-year-old girl to send him sexually explicit content through a messaging app in January 2023. He sent her money through a peer-to-peer payment app in exchange for the images.
Customs and Border Patrol agents searched Nelson’s phone when he returned from the Philippines in September 2023. His passport had been flagged for possible involvement in child sex trafficking, and agents found several videos that appeared to show child sexual abuse.
A forensic search of the phone turned up about 400 images and videos. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified 25 known victims across 46 different child sexual abuse material series.
Agents also found videos on Nelson’s phone showing children between 8 and 12 years old from Thailand engaging in sexual acts. Messages on his phone showed conversations with someone claiming to be a mother in the Philippines about his plans to travel there to have sex with children.
“The defendant is a serial child predator whose heinous actions have created irreparable harm to vulnerable children in the United States and other countries,” U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said. “My office has an unwavering commitment to protect children and bring justice to the victims and their families.”
“Today, alongside our partners, we stopped a serial sexual abuser from harming children for the next 204 months,” said Travis Pickard, special agent in charge of HSI St. Paul. “Christopher Nelson’s crimes were monstrous, and they underscore why our work with the Angel Watch Center and our law enforcement partners is so critical.”
U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz handed down the sentence.
