Clarkston man sentenced to 25 years for producing child porn

Senior U.S. District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Justin J. Krasselt, 27, of Clarkston, to over 273 months in federal prison Tuesday for production of child pornography.

The sentence was handed down in federal court in Spokane.

When combined with the time Krasselt has been in state custody since his arrest, the result is a 25-year prison sentence, according to a news release. At the conclusion of his prison term, Krasselt will spend the rest of his life on federal supervision. Peterson also imposed financial assessments aimed at victim compensation in the amount of $8,000.

Krasselt entered a guilty plea on June 7.

According to court documents, Krasselt shared child pornography within a public chat group on the Kik messaging application in June 2020. An undercover Homeland Security Investigations special agent captured the child pornography posted and observed that one of the videos appeared to be produced by Krasselt.

On June 16, 2020, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Krasselt’s residence, where agents seized electronic devices, including Krasselt’s phone.

When interviewed by law enforcement, Krasselt admitted to using Kik on his phone and to sending and receiving sexually exploitative images of minors. The investigation and forensic review of Krasselt’s phone, however, revealed that Krasselt had done more than send and receive child pornography.

Investigators found 10 sexually exploitative videos that Krasselt recorded of an 8-year-old girl. During a separate investigation, images and videos of this young child were discovered as far away as Dandenong, Victoria, Australia.

A review of the electronic devices in Australia revealed a Kik chat between the foreign suspect and Krasselt. The devices in Australia also contained images and videos depicting Krasselt’s victim, which Krasselt sent through Kik.

“It is chilling how common internet messaging applications like Kik can be used to exploit the most vulnerable among us and how exploitive images can quickly be spread across the world through social media,” U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref said in the news release.

“Parents, teachers, conscious members of our community, and law enforcement must work together to ensure that social media applications are not misused to harm children. Today’s sentence should serve as a warning to those who victimize children through social media and otherwise: Our office is committed to prioritizing and aggressively pursuing cases involving child predators and holding them accountable for victimizing the most innocent members of our community.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann T. Wick, who prosecuted the case, said, “While the criminal justice system cannot give it back, the sentence today removed a predator from the streets and ensured that the victim can spend the rest of her childhood free of the man who harmed her.”

The conviction also was praised by the special agent in charge of the case.

“Children are our most vulnerable population, and law enforcement must ensure that those who exploit children are held accountable to the fullest extent,” said Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest.

“Advances in technology have emboldened child predators to perpetuate their crimes with ease and share illicit material across the internet,” Hammer added. “Today’s twenty-five year sentence sends a strong message that child exploitation will not be tolerated. We also hope that this sentence brings some measure of peace to the family.”

Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com.