Repeat Sex Offender to Spend 15 Years in Federal Prison for Trading Child Sexual Abuse Material Online

INDIANAPOLIS- Christopher David Sheese, 43, of Bloomfield, Indiana, has been sentenced to 15 years, eight months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, after pleading guilty to distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, on June 29, 2024, investigators with the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, operating through the Bloomington Police Department, received a cyber-tip indicating that Sheese had uploaded twenty-one images and videos depicting child sexual abuse to the social media messaging application Kik. Using the account name "lovechicks0S6," Sheese traded files involving the sexual exploitation of minors under the age of twelve-including infants and toddlers-with another Kik user.

Investigators later seized Sheese's cell phone, which contained thousands of additional images and videos of child sexual abuse.

Sheese is a registered sex offender. In 2014, he was convicted in Owen County, Indiana for possessing a device containing thousands of files of child sexual abuse material. Five years later, he was convicted again for the same conduct after authorities discovered additional devices containing thousands more illicit files.

"This repeat sex offender remains a serious threat to children, having consistently demonstrated a refusal to cease this conduct and continuing to support a market rooted in the exploitation of society's most vulnerable victims," said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "We will use every tool available to protect children, support victims, and ensure that individuals who perpetuate this abuse are removed from our communities for as long as the law allows."

Homeland Security Investigations and Bloomington Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young.

U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Eakman, who prosecuted this case.

This investigation was conducted by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a multiagency task force led by the Indiana State Police that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children. Each year, Indiana ICAC investigators evaluate thousands of tips, investigate hundreds of cases, and rescue dozens of children from ongoing sexual abuse. Visit https://www.internetcrimesagainstkids.comLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. to learn more about their efforts.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.

If you are a victim of child sexual exploitation, please contact your local police department. Resources for victims of child exploitation can be found on our website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/project-safe-childhood

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