Evansville Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Receiving and Possessing Explicit Images of Children Via Snapchat

EVANSVILLE-Christopher Vickers, 41, of Evansville, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to one count of possession and three counts of receipt of child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, on July 17, 2023, investigators were alerted to a Snapchat account being used to upload, store, and share child sexual abuse material. Further investigation identified Christopher Vickers as the owner of the Snapchat account.

On July 26, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Vickers' apartment and found multiple cell phones containing over 500 images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The still image and video files included depictions of children engaged in sex acts with adult men and children under the age of 12 years old. The Snapchat account used by Vickers was also installed on one of the cell phones. Investigation revealed that Vickers used the Snapchat account to seek out groups of like-minded Snapchat users with a sexual interest in children to share and discuss depictions of child sexual abuse.

During the search of the apartment, investigators found objects reflecting his sexual interest in children, including underwear made for young girls located in Vickers' bedroom closet. Investigators learned that the underwear had been stolen from children who Vickers had access to in the past. Further investigation revealed that Vickers, who was then 40, was involved in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl at the time investigators searched his apartment.

"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. Together with our partners at the FBI and local police departments, our office will continue to vigorously prosecute child sex offenders and seek to send them to federal prison where they cannot further harm our children."

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, who prosecuted this case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

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