Repeat Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses, Failure to Register

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Christopher Daniels, 34, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Juan R. Sánchez to 15 years' imprisonment, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release for repeated child pornography and related offenses.

Daniels was charged with those violations in an August 2023 superseding indictment, and in March of this year, a federal jury convicted the defendant of all six counts against him, including receiving child pornography as a second time offender, possession of child pornography as a second time offender, access with intent to view child pornography as a second time offender, and failure to register as a sex offender, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Daniels previously was convicted of possession of child pornography in federal court in 2015 and served 70 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release. His term of supervised release commenced on January 15, 2021. Under SORNA, he was required to keep his sex offender registration information, including his registered residential address, current. In July 2022, Daniels failed to verify his sex offender registration with Pennsylvania State Police as required and went into non-compliant status. Daniels was also found to be non-compliant with the terms of his federal supervised release and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

On November 3, 2022, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Daniels and the FBI conducted a court-authorized search of his residence, seizing several electronic devices belonging to the defendant. Subsequent forensic examination of those devices found thousands of videos and images depicting child pornography and browser searches for such material.

"When he got out of prison, Christopher Daniels was given a non-negotiable to-do list," said U.S. Attorney Romero. "Right at the top: stay away from material depicting the horrific sexual abuse of children, and keep his sex offender registry details current. He failed at both, proving himself a continued risk to the community. My office and our partners at the FBI will never stop working to protecting vulnerable children from sexual exploitation."

"Having already served one sentence for exploiting innocent victims, the defendant then continued his heinous criminal behavior," said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. "This sentencing is a testament to the diligent and unceasing work of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to combat violent crimes against children."

The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.