Hastings Man Sentenced To 198 Months for Child Exploitation

MINNEAPOLIS - Hunter Geidl, age 29, was sentenced in United States District Court to 198 months imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release for multiple counts related to the production and possession of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

According to court documents, on May 19, 2022, Hunter James Geidl, 27, knowingly possessed a video file of a minor victim engaging in sexually explicit activities. From approximately July 29, 2022, until March 22, 2024, Geidl employed and used minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing sexually explicit video images.

"Protecting our nation's children is a mission we hold sacred in the FBI," said Richard Evanchec, the Interim Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Minneapolis Field Office. "The sentence imposed on Mr. Geidl should send a strong message about our work to bring to justice those who prey on America's kids. If you have information about additional victims of Hunter James Geidl who have not yet been identified, you are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov."

U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez when handing down the sentence said while Mr. Geidl may be a first-time defendant, he is not a first-time offender.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI with assistance from the Hastings Police Department. It 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 U.S. Attorney's Offices and the 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Assistant U.S. Attorney LeeAnn K. Bell prosecuted the case.