Long Island Man Sentenced to 28 Years for Creating and Distributing Child Pornography
Central Islip, New York – Christopher Bertsch, a 38-year-old man from Wantagh, New York, was sentenced to 28 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child.
At the federal courthouse in Central Islip, United States District Judge Joanna Seybert handed down the sentence to Bertsch, who must also register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and not have unsupervised contact with minors.
Bertsch pleaded guilty to the charge in November 2020.
“Today’s sentence removes a dangerous predator who not only abused minors and created videos of it but, horrifically, also operated a chat room where he instructed adults on how to abuse minors and to create and share images of it,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace.
According to court filings, Bertsch sexually abused an 18-month-old toddler, created child pornography with that victim and others, and generated a large collection of child pornography, including what he created and what he received from members of the chat room he operated.
The child pornography trove included dozens of videos and hundreds of images of child pornography depicting Bertsch engaged in sexual conduct with children.
An analysis of his chat room activity revealed that Bertsch sent the images of himself abusing children to others.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Charles P. Kelly and Madeline O’Connor are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
CHRISTOPHER BERTSCH
Age: 38
Wantagh, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-109 (JS)
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant: CHRISTOPHER BERTSCH
Criminal Charges: Sexual Exploitation of a Child
City and State: Central Islip, New York
Date: November 2020
Sentence: 28 years in prison
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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