Idaho man indicted on charges of sexually exploiting children, child pornography in Haines

Content Warning: This article contains information about alleged sexual exploitation that might be difficult for some readers.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - An Idaho man was indicted by an Anchorage federal grand jury on charges of sexually exploiting children and producing child pornography in Haines.

Christopher Panagiotou-Scigliano, 39, of Bonner County, Idaho, allegedly coerced a minor to engage in “sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography,” according to a press release shared by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Alaska. It added that he was also charged by the First Judicial District Court of Idaho for the alleged sexual abuse of multiple child victims.

If convicted, Panagiotou-Scigliano could face a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years, and a maximum sentence of 30 years.

Before arriving in Alaska, the release said Panagiotou-Scigliano allegedly groomed and abused several children in Idaho. In 2015, he moved from his home in Idaho to a farm in Haines, where he made arrangements for those same children to visit him.

According to the release, Panagiotou-Scigliano is accused of continuing his grooming process, and allegedly sexually exploiting those children by “taking numerous sexually explicit images and videos of the victims.” Authorities allegedly found additional images and videos of explicit content involving other children, which are said to have been downloaded online.

Law enforcement arrested Panagiotou-Scigliano in Boundary County, Idaho, on July 23. He has already made his initial court appearance in the U.S. District Court for Idaho and was then returned to Alaska.

If anyone has further information regarding Panagiotou-Scigliano’s activities, contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, resources are available on the Standing Together Against Rape (STAR) website or by calling the statewide crisis hotline at 1-800-478-8999.

If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, resources are available on the Alaska Children’s Alliance and Alaska Children’s Trust websites. To report abuse or neglect, call the state’s hotline at 1-800-478-4444 or the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.