by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Federal investigation uncovers extensive abuse; sentencing set for October
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A Fort Collins man has pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges involving the sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material, following a years-long investigation that revealed disturbing levels of abuse and exploitation.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 34-year-old Wesley Chambers of Fort Collins admitted to sexually abusing a minor over several years, during which he recorded the acts. Authorities discovered more than 200 sexually explicit videos and photographs of the minor on Chambers’ phone, along with over 20,000 images and 2,500 videos involving other exploited minors.
Chambers pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually exploiting a child and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material. As part of his plea agreement, he also admitted to accessing child pornography on the dark web, including graphic and extreme content from so-called “hurtcore” sites.
He is scheduled for sentencing on October 22, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of up to 70 years in federal prison. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district judge considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and its Denver Field Office. It was prosecuted by the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts across federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc.
If you have information related to child exploitation or abuse in Northern Colorado, report it to local law enforcement or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Attribution: U.S. Department of Justice