SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Chanute, Kansas, man serving with the Army National Guard was sentenced in federal court today for sexually exploiting an 11-year-old Southwest Missouri victim to produce child pornography.

22-Year-Old Christian Sinclair was sentenced by U.S. District Judge, Stephen R. Bough to 16 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Sinclair to 15 years of supervised release following incarceration.

On March 2nd, 2022, Sinclair pled guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child. Sinclair admitted that he used a minor to produce child pornography from August 1st, 2020, through June 15th, 2021.

According to Sinclair’s plea agreement, a captain in the Kansas National Guard contacted the Sierra Vista, Arizona, police department on June 15th, 2021, while his unit was deployed to Arizona. The captain reported that Sinclair, one of the soldiers in his command, was sexting an 11-year-old child in Missouri. Sinclair’s fiancée had reported to the captain earlier the same day, that she had screenshots between herself and Sinclair in which Sinclair admitted to “cheating” on her with an 11-year-old child.

The child victim told investigators that she had sent Sinclair multiple pornographic videos and images of herself via Snapchat at Sinclair’s request. Sinclair admitted that he also sent pornographic images of himself to the child victim via Snapchat.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney, Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Lamar, Mo., Police Department, the Sierra Vista, Arizona, Police Department, and the Chanute, Kan., Police Department.