Child Pornography Ring Bust: Salem Man Sentenced to Prison

PORTLAND, Ore.— A previously-convicted sex offender was sentenced to federal prison today after pleading guilty to one count of receiving child pornography.

John Christopher Christensen, 49, was handed down a 210-month prison sentence, followed by a 15-year term of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Michael Simon.

According to court documents, in December 2022, investigators with the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) gained access to an online chatroom dedicated to trading in images of child sexual abuse. Christensen was one of many participants in the chatroom. Investigators eventually determined Christensen’s true name, and discovered that he was a registered sex offender living in Salem, Oregon who had previously been convicted of a sex offense against a minor.

They also learned he had been arrested by Salem police on January 1, 2023, and charged with new offenses involving minors. In mid-January 2023, investigators served a federal search warrant at Christensen’s residence and recovered several devices that contained child pornography, including some of the same child pornography that had been posted in the chatroom.

Christensen appeared in federal court in August 2024 after serving a state sentence for luring a minor. He pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography in federal court in May 2025.

The federal case was investigated by HSI, with assistance from the Salem Police Department. It was prosecuted by Gary Sussman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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