LOS ANGELES – A Carpinteria man has been charged with producing child pornography by enticing minors over the internet, according to federal authorities.
Christopher Robin Coates, 41, was arraigned Thursday afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles, where he pleaded not guilty to nine felony offenses in the indictment. He faces a potential sentence of life without parole in federal prison, as well as enhanced mandatory minimum sentences due to his prior convictions.
The indictment alleges that Coates used Kik Messenger to entice two minor boys to engage in sexually explicit conduct last year, and that he received child pornography after enticing the victims to engage in the illicit conduct. He is also charged with distributing child pornography and possessing child pornography involving a victim under the age of 12.
Coates’ prior convictions include possessing child pornography and sexual battery of a disabled adult, both of which occurred in Santa Barbara Superior Court in 2011 and 2013, respectively. He was convicted of these crimes after a parole search of his residence in 2015, during which authorities recovered a Samsung tablet containing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography.
“This defendant, if he is convicted, faces a lengthy period of incarceration in federal prison – which would be warranted by his history of crimes against children,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “As this case unfortunately illustrates, child pornography is not a victimless crime; on the contrary, it victimizes the most vulnerable among us.”
Coates is scheduled to stand trial on May 24 before United States District Judge George W. Wu. He faces a minimum sentence of 35 years for the production counts, in addition to the potential life sentence.
“Protecting children from crimes of sexual abuse and exploitation is a priority for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service,” stated Robert Wemyss, Inspector in Charge for the Los Angeles Division. “I’m proud of the work of the Postal Inspection Service and our investigative partners to bring child predators to justice. We will not lose sight of this, and remain steadfast in our efforts to investigate, apprehend, and assist in the prosecution of those who seek to exploit children via the U.S. Mail.”
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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