A Manchester man has been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender. Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announced the sentencing of Christopher Hodgeman, 33, by U.S. District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro. In addition to the prison term, Hodgeman will face 15 years of supervised release.
Hodgeman pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of failure to register his online identifiers. This requirement followed his April 13, 2021 guilty plea for possession of child sexual abuse material, necessitating his registration as a sex offender and disclosure of any internet or online identifiers.
In February 2023, Manchester police received information suggesting that Hodgeman was engaging in sexually explicit chats via Xbox with a minor using an unregistered account. Further investigation revealed additional unreported online accounts linked to him.
"Prosecuting violations of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is critical in our effort to keep the most vulnerable members of our community safe," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack. "Today’s sentence reinforces this Office’s dedication to protecting the public and ensuring accountability for those who attempt to circumvent their sex offender registration requirements."
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Manchester Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew T. Hunter and Kasey Weiland leading the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local resources.