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Newton man who moderated a website devoted to child pornography and sex with children was sentenced today to 90 years in federal prison for his convictions on six counts of advertising child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney
Ralph J. Marra, Jr., announced.
Going into the sentencing today, Russell Christie, 51, faced a sentence of up to 30 years under the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. However, following testimony today from a woman, now 28, who for a decade was a victim in her childhood of severe sexual abuse by Christie, U.S. District Judge Harold A. Ackerman increased Christie's sentence to 90 years in prison, as permitted under the Sentencing Guidelines. There is no parole in the federal system, so Christie's sentence is effectively a life sentence.
Christie was a moderator of the North American Man Girl Love Association (NAMGLA) website. A jury convicted Christie on Nov. 24 of the eight child pornography-related counts following a two-week trial before Judge Ackerman.
"This individual and others who trade in child pornography are very often not content to just remain at their computer monitors," said Marra. "They seek to act out their fantasies and prey on young children. Clearly, our communities and our children are safer as a result of the sentence imposed in this case."
"It is fair to say," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun, "that the crimes Russell Christie facilitated on his website likely contributed to the denigration and destruction of many childhoods throughout the world. We cannot give the victims back their innocence, but what we have done is ensure that this man will never see another day of freedom. Society can take comfort in knowing that Russell Christie will never have the opportunity to hurt or exploit another child again."
Russell Christie has been in continuous custody since July 2006 when he was arrested by Special Agents of the FBI for his involvement as a moderator of the NAMGLA website. The website, which had a membership of several hundred individuals across the country and throughout the world, was a repository for hardcore child pornography, including explicit pictures and videos. Besides being a moderator for the site, Christie, was also its most prolific contributor, making in excess of 2,500 posts between October 2005 and June 2006.
The defendant and his mother owned and ran the Green Valley Beach Campground in Newton for several years. There, Christie worked in the candy store and served as a lifeguard. He also drove the local elementary school bus.
In a post-arrest statement to FBI agents in July 2006, Christie admitted to sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl for years throughout approximately the 1990s. Law enforcement officers confirmed that Christie did indeed sexually abuse the girl, plying her with alcohol and drugs, including cocaine and heroin, and showing her adult and child pornography to induce her to have sex with him. The girl, now 28, testified today before Judge Ackerman, leading the judge to make the legal findings that dramatically increased his sentence.
At trial, FBI agents testified that Christie had one of the largest collections of child pornography they had ever seized, including over 500 individual CDs containing child pornography. The defendant, who is unmarried and without children, also kept a box of children's toys in his home. Christie's posts to the NAMGLA website included young girls performing oral sex on adult males, photographs of children being raped, and written posts about becoming aroused while changing a baby's diaper.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lee Vartan and Nancy Hoppock.
Marra credited Special Agents of the FBI for the investigation leading to the prosecution of Russell Christie.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice
