Kipnuk man indicted for child pornography offenses

FAIRBANKS, Alaska - A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment this week charging a Kipnuk man with multiple child pornography offenses. This case is one of three cases charged in Alaska through Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.

According to court documents, between Aug. 11 to 13, 2025, Petngalria Paul, aka "Garrett," 28, distributed, received and possessed child sexual abuse materials within Alaska.

Paul is charged with one count of distribution of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. The defendant is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on a later date before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brandon Waddle of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement as part of Operation Relentless Justice. The nationwide crackdown resulted in over 205 child victims being located and the arrests of over 293 child sexual abuse offenders. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of two weeks by all 56 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department's Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorneys' offices around the country.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office is investigating the case, as part of the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers. If anyone has information concerning Paul's alleged actions or may have encountered someone using the name "Petngalria Paul" or "Garrett Paul" in person or online, please contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441 or anonymously at tips.fbi.gov.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ibad Jafri are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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