ND Man Sentenced for Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

FARGO - U. S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on Nov. 24, 2015, Christopher Halligan, 47, Emerado, ND, was sentenced before U. S. District Judge Ralph R Erickson to serve eight years in prison for one count of receipt of materials containing child pornography and three counts of possession of child pornography. Judge Erickson also sentenced Halligan to serve five years of supervised release and pay a $400 special assessment to the Crime Victims Fund.   Finally, Halligan was ordered to pay $3000 in restitution to two of the victims depicted in the child pornography.  

On Sept. 26, 2014, a ND Bureau of Criminal Investigations Special Agent downloaded child pornography from Halligan’s computer via a peer-to-peer (P2P) network.   Law enforcement assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force subsequently executed a search warrant on Halligan’s residence in Grand Forks county.   A forensic examination of the media eventually revealed more than 28,000 files depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.    

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland security - Homeland Security Investigations and the ND Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U. S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood, in conjunction with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force help federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative responses to offenders who use the Internet, online communications systems, and/or computer technology to sexually exploit children. The ICAC program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces engaging in proactive investigations, forensic investigations, and criminal prosecutions. Project Safe Childhood also helps to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.