Federal Judge Hands Down 7.5 Year Sentence To Valdese, N.C. Man On Child Pornography Charges

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced today Christopher Eric Alexander, 42, of Valdese, N.C. to 90 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for receiving child pornography, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.  Judge Reidinger also ordered Alexander to register as a sex offender following his release from prison.

U.S. Attorney Murray is joined in making today’s announcement by John Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division.   

According to court documents and information introduced at the sentencing hearing, law enforcement became aware that an individual in Burke County, later identified as Alexander, was using a file sharing website to receive child pornography.  Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement determined that between May 24, 2017, and April 15, 2018, Alexander received and possessed a total of 34 videos and 419 images of child pornography, some of which depicted prepubescent minors engaging in sadistic and masochistic conduct with adults.  Alexander also admitted distributing child pornography through the file sharing service.

On October 5, 2018, Alexander pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a facility.  Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.

The investigation was handled by the FBI.  The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville.

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 the Criminal Division’s 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.