Federal prosecutors with the Western District of Louisiana said the FBI and the New Zealand Police division of Online Child Exploitation investigated the case.
The criminal complaint states that New Zealand authorities notified the FBI in September after reviewing an encrypted online conversation between a suspect that foreign authorities were investigating, and an individual with a username the FBI later linked to 56-year-old Christopher Peck.
The complaint alleges that Peck told the foreign suspect that he was abusing a 10-year-old girl and that he was using a spiked drink to facilitate the abuse. Peck then allegedly sent several photos of the minor victim being sexually abused that were taken in a hotel room. Law enforcement identified the minor victim as residing in Louisiana. The complaint further alleges that Peck rented a hotel room in Louisiana that matched the timeframe in which the images were transmitted in April.
On September 25, the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged 56-year-old Christopher Peck with Production of Visual Depictions Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors. Peck was arrested in Kentucky on September 29.
If convicted, Peck faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison.
On the Net:
Press release from U.S. Attorney's office / justice.gov
