Denver, Colorado Man Arrested in Ste. Genevieve County on Federal Charges

March 5, 2010 - ST. LOUIS, MO—The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that a Denver, Colorado, man was indicted on federal charges involving the transportation of a minor for illegal sexual contact.

According the indictment, between January 5 and January 6, 2010, Christopher Martinez transported a minor female from the state of Colorado to the state of Missouri to have illegal sexual contact. He was arrested by the Ste. Genevieve Sheriff’s Department on January 6, 2010.

CHRISTOPHER MARTINEZ, Denver, Colorado, was indicted by a federal grand jury February 25, on three felony counts of transportation of a minor for the purpose of a criminal sex act and one felony count of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual contact. He was arraigned in federal court earlier today in St. Louis.

If convicted, each count of transportation of a minor carries a penalty range of 10 years to life in prison and or fines up to $250,000. Interstate travel carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the Ste. Genevieve Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Carrie Costantin is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.