Indianapolis Man Sentenced for Sending Child Sexual Abuse Material

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to 16 years and three months in federal prison for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.

Christopher J. White, 46, of Indianapolis, is also getting a lifetime of supervised release and was ordered to pay $270,000 in restitution.

Court documents state that on March 19, 2024, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers responded to White’s home after a report came in of a domestic disturbance. A relative of White’s called police after discovering sexually explicit images of minors on White’s cell phone.

Witnesses reported finding images of a younger relative posted on social media without permission. The child was younger than eight years old and was wearing a swimsuit in the pictures.

Text messages containing sexually explicit images of other minors were also found on White’s device. Another person told police that she received a notification in January 2024 that her Google account had been locked due to uploads of child sexual abuse material while White was using her phone.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana said investigators recovered at least 13 files depicting violence or exploitation and more than 600 additional images, including approximately 1,038 files identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as known child sexual abuse material.

Investigators learned that White had been distributing and receiving sexually explicit images of children, including infants and toddlers, since November 2023.

“Protecting children from exploitation is one of our most critical responsibilities,” said Tom Wheeler, U.S. Attorney for the state’s Southern District. “This sentence makes clear that those who victimize children, whether through hands‑on abuse or the distribution of child sexual abuse material, will be held accountable.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood and investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and IMPD.

“Individuals who exploit children through the use and distribution of child sexual abuse material must be held accountable for the profound harm they cause to victims and their families,” said Special Agent in Charge Ike Barnes of the U.S. Secret Service Indianapolis Field Office. “The sentence in this case reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s actions. The Secret Service remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to protect children from exploitation and bring offenders to justice.”

White became a registered sex offender after being convicted of child exploitation and possession of child sexual abuse material in 2016.