Dustin Ray Fredrickson, a 37-year-old resident of Fargo, North Dakota, has been sentenced to 32 years in federal prison. Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl confirmed the sentence issued by Chief United States District Judge Peter D. Welte. Fredrickson has been charged with receiving materials depicting the sexual exploitation of minors in breach of 18 USC § 2252(a)(2). Upon completing his prison term, Fredrickson will undergo lifetime supervised release. He must also pay $18,000 in restitution to the victims identified from videos and images recovered from his cellphone. He entered a guilty plea on November 20, 2024.
The criminal activities of Fredrickson came to light after the Internet Crimes Against Children task force received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This tip involved a Snapchat account containing images of nude children, later linked to Fredrickson. A search warrant executed at his residence led to the discovery of a Samsung cellphone, which contained approximately 373 videos and 773 images of children in sexually explicit conduct, including infants.
Fredrickson's criminal record includes three convictions as an adult for sexual contact with minors.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood. Initiated by the Justice Department in May 2006, this nationwide effort addresses child sexual exploitation and abuse. It unifies federal, state, and local resources to pursue those who exploit children over the internet and aims to find and aid victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood is available at www.justice.gov/psc.
The investigation was conducted by the Fargo Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and North Dakota Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Gary Delorme led the prosecution.