North Dakota Man Sentenced to 40 Years Imprisonment for Receiving Videos of Toddlers Being Sexually Abused

FARGO – United States Attorney Mac Schneider, District of North Dakota, announced that on May 30, 2024, Nicholas Morgan-Derosier, age 36 of Grand Forks, ND, appeared before Chief Judge Peter D. Welte, U.S. District Court, Fargo, ND, and was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison; lifetime supervised release; $700.00 in special assessments; and ordered to pay $39,000 in restitution to the 13 victims for Receiving and Possessing Child Pornography.  

          Morgan-Derosier pled guilty to one count of Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography, and six counts of Possession of Child Pornography on September 29, 2023.  The charges stemmed from videos and images that Grand Forks Police and HSI found during a search warrant at Morgan-Derosier’s residence.  The search warrant was based on Morgan-Derosier’s fraudulent lawn service business activity.  Officers located more than 6,000 images and videos of graphic sexual abuse of prepubescent minors on at least six devices.  Morgan-Derosier also possessed nude images of prepubescent family members, along with explicit chats about raping them. The evidence at sentencing showed that Morgan-Derosier raped or sexually assaulted several other individuals when those individuals were minors.  Morgan-Derosier’s total offense level was 42 and he fell into a criminal history category II, yielding a recommended guideline range of 360 months – 120 years in prison.  The Receipt of Child Pornography Count carried a minimum-minimum sentence of five years. 

          “The monstrous conduct of this defendant towards children makes this strong sentence an appropriate one,” said Mac Schneider, United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota. “This defendant preyed on kids online and in real life, and the public is safer now that he is in the long-term custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. I commend our office’s First Assistant United States Attorney, Jenifer Puhl, our colleagues at Main Justice, and our partners in federal, state, and local law enforcement for ensuring this defendant faced justice.”

          “Morgan-Derosier was a significant threat to the community, and his conviction and sentencing highlights the fact that predators like him will face significant penalties for their crimes that leave victims and families traumatized,” said Jamie Holt, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) St. Paul Special Agent in Charge. “HSI special agents work tirelessly to combat child predators like Morgan-Derosier. We will continue to fight against the exploitation of children and support victims by providing critical resources and services. Well done to the special agents and law enforcement community partners for bringing him to justice for his reprehensible crimes.”

          Homeland Security Investigations, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Grand Forks Police Department investigated the case. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl and Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the 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. 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

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