GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ) – A Northern Michigan man has been sentenced to 90 years in federal prison for sexually abusing young children, including infants and some with special needs.
Nathan Christensen of Manton – north of Cadillac – learned his sentence Tuesday as Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Jarbou denounced his crimes as “horrific.”
In September 2022 Australian Federal Police identified Christensen, 45, as a “collector of child pornography and a potential producer,” according to U.S. Attorney Mark Totten’s office. Australian authorities then contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in the U.S.
HSI and Michigan State Police investigators located Christensen the next month and carried out a search warrant at his home and another associated residence. They recognized rooms in the home as the background of some of the images and videos he was tied to.
Christensen was immediately arrested on state charges of criminal sexual assault. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023 and transferred to federal custody.
Authorities found hundreds of thousands of images and videos of child pornography during the investigation.
In total, authorities identified and located eight children who were victims of Christensen. Totten’s office says one victim was just three days old, while another was three months old. Two other victims had special needs, officials said.
This March Christensen pleaded guilty to three federal counts stemming from his production of child porn. Each charge carried a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30. By law, the court was permitted to run the sentences consecutively for a combined maximum of 90 years.
In June Christensen pleaded guilty in Missaukee County to further charges of criminal sexual conduct and set to be sentenced next month, with the agreement that his state sentence will run concurrent with the federal sentence.
“This 90-year sentence does not begin to undo the harm he’s inflicted on our most vulnerable,” Totten said, per a press release. “ No sexual predator who learns of Mr. Christensen’s fate should experience a moment of ease: we will find you and we will hold you accountable.”
“These crimes are nothing less than monstrous,” said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar.
Jarbou said in her 25 years of experience as a lawyer and judge she has never seen anything like Christensen’s case before.
She said Christensen “abused trust in the worst possible way and did it for years and did it to multiple victims.” She said the 90-year sentence will “protect the community, punish him for his conduct, and send a message of deterrence to others who might contemplate sexually abusing children.”
This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
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