Man Had Girls Write His Initials On Their Bodies; Gets 28 Years

CHICAGO, IL — A Chicago man accused of having underage girls write his initials on their bodies in a show of ownership was given a 28-year prison term after he admitted to creating hundreds of photos and videos of child pornography, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Earlier this year, Christopher M. Hall, 44, pleaded guilty to inducement and enticement of a minor for the production of child pornography and knowingly transporting child pornography, and a federal judge handed down his sentence Monday.

According to prosecutors, Hall used a moblie chat app to arrange sex between himself and two girls, one who was only 12 years old at the time. After meeting and talking onlne, Hall instructed the girls to write "Owned by CH" on their bodies. He then would tell the girls to photograph the markings and send the images to him, prosecutors added.

Hall also was accused of directing the girls to have sex with several men who responded to Craigslist ads that used explicit images of the minors, prosecutors said. Videos and photos were taken of those encounters, which occurred in Chicago, Aurora and Gary, Indiana, according to authorities.

An investigation into Hall's activities began when one of the girls was reported missing from her Michigan home, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement Monday. Emails between Hall and the girl were discovered, and investigators eventually were led to his home child pornography collection, the feds added.

More than 7,000 photos and videos made up the collection, and some of the children in the images were younger than 12, according to prosecutors. Before Monday's sentencing, around 30 of the victims provided statements describing "the harm caused by the exploitation of their images by individuals like Hall," authorities said.

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