Barton County Man Pleads Guilty
To Producing Child Porn
WICHITA, KAN. – A man from Great Bend, Kan., has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
In his plea, Shawn Marshal Christiansen, 37, admitted that on Dec. 6, 2009, he recorded a live streaming video in which he positioned a boy who was four to six years old in front of a Web camera. He pulled the boy’s pants and underwear down to expose the boy’s genitals.
In the course of investigating another individual located in North Dakota, agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement found evidence that the man had received the video of the boy from Christiansen. ICE agents analyzed Christiansen’s computer, where they found chat logs in which Christiansen talked about the incident with the boy.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 21. Christiansen faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Grissom commended Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.
