Federal judge sentences 2 in child pornography case

Two Minnesota residents were sentenced Wednesday, June 9, in federal court for producing and attempting to produce child pornography.

Matthew James Gunderson, 31, Sturgeon Lake, was sentenced to 30 years and Amanda May Walsh, 39, Aitkin, was sentenced to 19 years by Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, the United States Attorney’s Office District of Minnesota stated in a news release.

Related: Federal judge sentences Brainerd man in bear poaching case The sentence includes 15 months in prison and a $9,500 fine for wildlife trafficking and trespassing on Indian land after removing the head of a 700-pound black bear on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.
The judge also sentenced Gunderson and Walsh to 10 years each of supervised release following incarceration. They will be required to register as sex offenders upon their release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout their lives.

According to court documents, on Jan. 22, 2019, and at other times, Walsh engaged in the sexual abuse of a minor for the purpose of producing videos and photographs of the abuse. On Jan. 24 and 26, 2019, and at other times, Gunderson engaged in the sexual abuse of minors for the purpose of producing videos and photographs of the abuse.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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, visit projectsafechildhood.gov .

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda M. Sertich.