GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie Salazar announced Monday, that Christopher James Masterson, 35, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was sentenced to 30 years in the Bureau of Prisons for the sexual exploitation of minor children.
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U.P. man gets 30 years for sexually abusing 9-year-old
Updated Apr 09, 12:17 PM;
Posted Apr 09, 12:17 PM
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SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – An Upper Peninsula man is sentenced to 30 years in prison and other penalties for sexually abusing a 9-year-old child in 2018.
Ralph Fletcher Hepner Jr., 53, of Sault Ste. Marie, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney to 360 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release and no contact with the victim, U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced in a news release.
Hepner pleaded guilty in December to the charge of abusive sexual contact with a child under 12 years old, authorities said. The charge stems from an incident that happened in early 2018 at Hepner’s home on the Sault Ste. Marie Reservation. Law enforcement became aware of it after the victim reported the abuse to a relative. An extensive investigation followed and a federal grand jury later indicted Hepner.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced that Ralph Fletcher Hepner, Jr., 53, of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 360 months’ imprisonment for abusive sexual contact with a child under the age of twelve.
In addition to the prison term, U.S District Judge Paul L. Maloney ordered Hepner to serve five years of supervised release following his release from prison and to have no contact with the victim.
“The federal penalties for hands-on sexual abuse of a child under twelve are severe because the crime is so awful,” said U.S. Attorney Birge. “While children are resilient in many ways, they are robbed of their innocence and the trauma from this sort of offense endures for years. This sentence sends a strong deterrent message and will keep the victim and other potential victims safe from Hepner for years.”