Dublin man who sexually abused minors in Ohio & Utah pleads guilty, faces up to life in prison

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Dublin, Ohio, man arrested in Utah in November 2025 pleaded guilty in federal court here today to coercion and enticement of a minor, an offense that carries a mandatory-minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison.

Wade S. Christofferson, 73, admitted to coercing and enticing minors under the age of 10.

In November 2025, Christofferson was overheard on a sexually explicit FaceTime call with a minor victim. He had sent coded letters to the victim's Utah home that referenced sexual activity for approximately six months.

A few weeks after the FaceTime call occurred, the Dublin Police Department received a report regarding the alleged sexual abuse of an Ohio minor by Christofferson that occurred when the victim was approximately 7 and 8 years old.

The defendant committed hands-on sexual abuse of the child in Utah and the second victim in Ohio approximately 20 times.

In his letters and calls, Christofferson taught the 7-year-old Utah victim code words like "snow" for vagina, "friends" for nipples, "asterisk (*)" for naked, a drawn "smiley face" for rubs and "SS" for "Secret Spanks." He was overheard on a FaceTime call asking the victim if he could see her "snow" and "friends." Christofferson wrote the victim "Top Secret" hand-written messages and advised they were only for the victim to read.

Dublin police officers executed a search warrant at Christofferson's home in mid-November and seized his electronic devices. The FBI completed a forensic examination of Christofferson's phone and discovered search history for "criminal defense attorneys sex crimes columbus ohio" and "In Ohio do clergy have to report child abuse confessions" as well as information about leaving the country.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Dublin Police Chief Justin Paez and other members of the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.

U.S. Attorney Gerace commended the significant contributions to this case by the FBI Salt Lake City Division, the Payson, Utah Police Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah.

Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

This case is 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. 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.

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