Darin Schilmiller, Production of Child Pornography, Alaska 2023

Darin Schilmiller, 26, of Indiana was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to produce child sexual abuse materials.

According to court documents, Schilmiller conspired with Denali Brehmer, 24, to murder Cynthia Hoffman in June 2019 while Schilmiller was residing in Indiana. During this time, they also conspired to exploit a minor victim to produce sexually explicit images, which Brehmer took and sent to Schilmiller via text message at his direction.

Schilmiller and Brehmer pleaded guilty to production of child pornography in the U.S. District Court in July 2023. Brehmer was sentenced to serve a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and the rest of her life on supervised release. Both defendants were also sentenced by the State of Alaska to 99 years in prison for their roles in Hoffman’s murder.

In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline cited public safety as a paramount consideration, describing the defendant’s actions as predatory, perverted and sophisticated. Judge Beistline stated, "I can’t think of anything worse than what that I’ve seen here," and that, "the defendant can’t be permitted to hurt anyone else."

"This sentence marks the conclusion of a years-long effort to hold the defendants accountable for the tragic consequences of their actions," said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. "I want to thank the FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Anchorage Police Department for their commitment to protecting Alaska’s children, and to the Alaska Department of Law for diligently prosecuting the homicide. We remain committed to keeping our state safe and pursuing justice."

"Mr. Schilmiller committed some of the darkest crimes imaginable, causing immeasurable harm to the victims and their families," said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day. "This sentencing underscores the unrelenting efforts by the investigative and prosecution teams to ensure that none of his sadistic crimes went unpunished. The FBI, the Anchorage Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize holding dangerous offenders accountable and protecting our most vulnerable."

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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Anchorage Police Department as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

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