United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of JUSTIN THOMAS CHAPMAN, 38, to 180 months in prison for distributing child pornography. CHAPMAN, who pleaded guilty on May 8, 2019, was sentenced today before Judge Eric C. Tostrud in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.
According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, from March 2017 through Aug. 10, 2018, CHAPMAN moderated and participated in online chatrooms where participants distributed, traded, and received child pornography. CHAPMAN and other participants also used the chatrooms to express their preferences in child pornography as well as discuss means to avoid detection by law enforcement. As a chatroom moderator, CHAPMAN communicated and enforced the “rules" of the chatrooms, including limits on content, the way child pornography could be shared, and a code of conduct for the chatroom members.
According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, after the execution of a search warrant at CHAPMAN’S residence, CHAPMAN obstructed the FBI’s investigation by warning others in the chatrooms that the FBI was aware of their activities.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Manda M. Sertich and Alexander D. Chiquoine.
Defendant Information:
JUSTIN THOMAS CHAPMAN, 38
Brooklyn Center, Minn.
Convicted:
* Distribution of child pornography, 1 count
Sentenced:
* 180 months in prison
* Ten years of supervised release
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
