Minnesota Man Convicted for Advertising and Distributing CSAM on the Dark Web

• An individual was convicted by a federal jury in connection to the discussion and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
• The Minnesota man was found guilty of advertising, possessing, and distributing child pornography.
• These counts have punishments of up to 20 or 30 years in prison, and a federal district court judge will determine the sentencing.

A federal jury convicted Craig James Myran, 47, of Bemidji, Minnesota, for his involvement in advertising, distributing, and possessing material depicting child sexual abuse. This conviction occurred on November 20 and is a significant step in the fight against online child exploitation.

Myran was found to be an active participant on a dark web platform dedicated to the discussion and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Over the years, Myran utilized a unique account to make over 1,000 posts, including requests for specific files and the distribution of CSAM. 

Following an investigation, FBI agents executed a search warrant on Myran’s residence on December 8, 2022. Forensic analysis of hard drives and a cellphone seized during the search revealed critical evidence, including CSAM files linked to his account, messages connecting him to his dark web alias, and thousands of additional images depicting child sexual abuse.

After a three-day trial, the jury found Myran guilty on two counts of advertising child pornography, punishable by a minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison per count, and one count of distributing child pornography, punishable by a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years.

He was also found guilty on one count of possessing child pornography, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Myran’s sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge, who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Justice Department in 2006 to combat the escalation of child sexual exploitation online. The program centralizes federal, state, and local resources to locate offenders, prosecute violators, and rescue victims of exploitation.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Green for the District of Minnesota, with investigative efforts led by the FBI Minneapolis Field Office.

The fight against online child exploitation saw a new control law proposed by European Union (EU) lawmakers that aimed to scan people’s private messages via apps like iMessage, Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp, compromising user privacy and security.