U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson | U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson | U.S. Department of Justice
Christopher Vickers, 41, of Evansville, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison followed by 15 years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession and three counts of receipt of child sexual abuse material.
Court documents indicate that on July 17, 2023, investigators were alerted to a Snapchat account used to upload, store, and share child sexual abuse material. Further investigation identified Christopher Vickers as the owner of the account.
On July 26, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Vickers’ apartment. Investigators found multiple cell phones containing over 500 images and videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The files included depictions of children engaged in sex acts with adult men and children under the age of 12. The Snapchat account used by Vickers was installed on one of the cell phones. It was revealed that Vickers used this account to seek out groups with a sexual interest in children for sharing and discussing depictions of child sexual abuse.
During the search, investigators found objects reflecting his sexual interest in children, including young girls' underwear located in his bedroom closet. This underwear had been stolen from children who Vickers had access to previously. Further investigation showed that Vickers was involved in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl at the time his apartment was searched.
“Pedophiles use social media platforms like Snapchat to share their interests with like-minded individuals—gathering online to traffic in child sexual abuse materials,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Prosecution of these criminals helps make our children safer and sends the message that Snapchat and other platforms are not a safe space for predators to trade in images of abuse.”
The FBI and Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young. Vickers must also register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works, or goes to school.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger for prosecuting this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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