FORMER ADAMS COUNTY, COLORADO SHERIFF’S DEPUTY SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Acting United States Attorney Nicholas Vassallo announced today that CHRISTOPHER MARK HAENEL, 41, of Sheridan, Wyoming, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on November 7, 2022, for accessing with intent to view child pornography. Haenel was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $5,000 special assessment pursuant to the Victims of Sex Trafficking Act of 2015; a $500 special assessment and mandatory restitution of at least $3,000 per requesting victim pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018; and a $100 special assessment.  

Haenel, a retired Adams County, Colorado, sheriff’s deputy, came to the attention of law enforcement when Kik, a social media platform, reported that he was sharing child pornography using its service.

This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation ICAC. Assistant United States Attorney Christyne M. Martens prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. Learn more.

Case No. 22-00063-ABJ