Serial Child Predator Sentenced to 204 Months’ Imprisonment for Producing Child Pornography

MINNEAPOLIS - United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Christopher Robert Nelson, 45, of Eagan, Minnesota, was sentenced to 204 months in prison with five years of supervised release for the production of child pornography.

According to court documents, on or about January 13, 2023, Nelson knowingly enticed and coerced a then-11-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct. The defendant communicated with the girl through a messaging application and directed her to send sexually explicit content to him, and he would send money through a peer-to-peer money transfer application.

On September 9, 2023, Nelson returned to the United States from the Philippines and a Customs and Border Patrol agent conducted a border search of the defendant's phone as his passport was flagged for possible involvement in child sex trafficking. Agents found several videos that appeared to be child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Following a forensic extraction of Nelson's phone, agents found approximately 400 images and videos of CSAM. The images and videos found on the defendant's phone were sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for victim identification. The NCMEC report revealed 25 known victims across 46 different CSAM series. Law enforcement also found videos on Nelson's phone depicting children, with ages ranging from eight to twelve years old, from Thailand engaging in sexual acts.

Additionally, law enforcement found messages between Nelson and an individual who claimed to be a mother in the Philippines and on his plans to travel to the country to have sex with children.

Nelson was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz on August 27, 2026. Nelson previously pleaded guilty on November 12, 2025.

"The defendant is a serial child predator whose heinous actions have created irreparable harm to vulnerable children in the United States and other countries. My office has an unwavering commitment to protect children and bring justice to the victims and their families," said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

"Today, alongside our partners, we stopped a serial sexual abuser from harming children for the next 204 months," said HSI St. Paul Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. "Christopher Nelson's crimes were monstrous, and they underscore why our work with the Angel Watch Center and our law enforcement partners is so critical. We will keep fighting to bring predators to justice and protect children in our communities and around the world."

This case was the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and other law enforcement partners.

Assistant United States Attorney Raphael B. Coburn prosecuted this case.

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. Attorney's Offices and the 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.