A Bahamian citizen, Chrystano Peder Carmelo Cooper, aged 22, has been sentenced to 220 months in prison for crimes related to child exploitation. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced the sentence, which stems from four counts involving the production, distribution, receipt, and possession of child sexual abuse materials. These sentences will run concurrently. Cooper is required to register as a sex offender and will be deported after serving his time.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations and revealed that between December 2022 and February 2024, while attending college in Oklahoma on an F1 student visa, Cooper coerced a minor into creating and sharing explicit images online. A federal search warrant led agents to seize Cooper's phone, uncovering multiple abusive images of the victim.
Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard from Homeland Security Investigations Dallas stated: “This sentence is proof that this defendant's perverse behavior of sexually exploiting a child will not go unpunished.” He credited a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for aiding in Cooper's incarceration.
United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson reaffirmed their commitment to prosecuting those who exploit children: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively prosecute those who exploit and victimize children.”
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. This initiative brings together federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
Authorities encourage anyone with information on child exploitation to contact law enforcement through various channels including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or Homeland Security Investigations.
Chief U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White presided over the hearing. Until he is transported to a designated Bureau of Prisons facility, Cooper remains in custody under the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessie K. Pippin and Jessica Bove represented the prosecution in this case.
