Peace Garden News

Dustin Ray Fredrickson, a 37-year-old resident of Fargo, North Dakota, received a 32-year federal prison sentence following his appearance in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl announced the sentence, which also includes a lifetime of supervised release for offenses related to the receipt of materials depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, violating 18 USC § 2252(a)(2). Additionally, Fredrickson was ordered to pay $18,000 in restitution to the victims identified in the seized materials. He entered a guilty plea on November 20, 2024.

The investigation began with a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, received by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. The tip concerned a Snapchat account containing images of nude children, which was traced back to Fredrickson. A search warrant for Fredrickson's residence led to the seizure of a Samsung cellphone, containing approximately 373 videos and 773 images of children engaged in sexually explicit activities, including infants.

Fredrickson committed this offense with a history of three prior convictions for having sexual contact with minors as an adult. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. This initiative, led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices alongside the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, focuses on locating, apprehending, and prosecuting individuals who exploit children via the Internet and rescuing victims. Information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.

The investigation was carried out by the Fargo Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and North Dakota Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Gary Delorme prosecuted the case.