A Colorado man, Steven Glenn Christiansen, 69, of Fort Collins, has been sentenced to ten years in prison followed by lifetime supervised release for his involvement in an online forum that sexually exploited dozens of minors.
Court documents show that Christiansen used a mobile messaging app with end-to-end encryption to access invitation-only group chats where users exchanged child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These groups shared livestreams and files on third-party platforms featuring minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Christiansen also communicated directly with other users to request and exchange CSAM. Authorities executed a search warrant at his residence and seized several digital devices containing images and videos of CSAM. He admitted to possessing thousands of such images.
Christiansen pleaded guilty in August 2025 to one count of possession of child pornography. He had previously been convicted in Colorado in March 2000 for sexually assaulting a child.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon from the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Hindman for the District of Colorado.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly for the District of Colorado, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Marvin Massey of the FBI Denver Field Office announced the sentence.
“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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.”
