North Dakota man sentenced to 22 years in federal prison following his guilty plea to child pornography charges

FARGO, N.D. — A North Dakota man was sentenced Friday to 22 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to child pornography charges.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers, District of North Dakota.  This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and the Jamestown (North Dakota) Police Department.

Alexander Robert McManus, 56, of Jamestown, North Dakota, was sentenced Nov. 3 before Judge Ralph R. Erickson following his guilty plea to one count of receiving materials containing child pornography and two counts of possessing materials containing child pornography.

Judge Erickson sentenced McManus to serve 22 years in federal prison, to be followed by lifetime supervised release. McManus was further ordered to pay $300 to the Crime Victims’ Fund, as well as $2,500 in restitution to the victim.

This case came to the attention of law enforcement after a child reported that McManus had been sexually abusing her since a young age.  Jamestown Police Department initiated an investigation after the defendant’s wife reported finding a cellphone containing child pornography that was concealed behind the refrigerator in their residence. Law enforcement subsequently searched McManus’ residence during which time they recovered additional media that contained child pornography.  McManus later admitted to receiving and possessing child pornography that he concealed in his residence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl, District of North Dakota, prosecuted this case.

This investigation was conducted under 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 16,000 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 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 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. HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.