Former San Francisco teacher indicted on child pornography charge

OAKLAND – A former teacher with the San Francisco Unified School District was arraigned in federal court Thursday for possession of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Christian Lancaster, 46, of Alameda, is charged in an indictment with knowingly possessing one or more images of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Up until January, Lancaster was a teacher with the San Francisco Unified School District.

Lancaster voluntarily surrendered Thursday and was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending a July 27 bail hearing before Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Marie Barton.

If convicted of possession of child pornography, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years, a fine of $250,000, and restitution if appropriate. However, any sentence following conviction will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation was conducted under the auspices of HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.