A North Bend resident has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for attempting to sexually exploit a minor through the use of Facebook Messenger, according to court documents.
Chistopher Jay Young, 40, received a sentence of 180 months in federal prison and will be subject to 15 years of supervised release.
Authorities stated that on January 20, 2024, Young used Facebook Messenger to persuade a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, record it, and send the material to him. Law enforcement from several agencies—including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Oregon State Police, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and Lane County Sheriff’s Office—executed search warrants at Young’s home and vehicles on April 11, 2024. He was arrested at that time and investigators seized his electronic devices.
During their investigation, officials found that Young had used the minor’s social media account credentials saved on his phone to communicate and request child sexual abuse material.
A federal grand jury indicted Young on April 16, 2024, with two counts: attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct and attempting to coerce or entice a minor into unlawful sexual conduct. On May 6, 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count related to producing such material.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Lane County Sheriff’s Office with help from HSI. William M. McLaren, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, prosecuted the case.
“Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.”
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. The press release emphasizes that this material documents real crimes against children and sharing it can re-victimize those depicted each time it is viewed. More information is available from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. Details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
