A repeat child sex offender, Andrew Craig Petersen, was sentenced on Apr. 29 to 300 months’ imprisonment after producing sexually explicit images and videos of a seven-year-old victim using his cellphone.
Petersen, age 36 and from Salt Lake City, pleaded guilty on August 26, 2025, to production of child pornography. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Jill N. Parrish and includes a lifetime of supervised release. Restitution will be determined at a later date.
According to court documents and statements made during Petersen’s plea and sentencing hearings, beginning June 14, 2023 in the District of Utah—while already on probation for attempted sexual exploitation of a child—he used his phone to create images and videos involving the minor daughter of a woman with whom he had a relationship. He then uploaded these materials online. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received information about these uploads and relayed it to authorities.
“Petersen is a repeat child sex offender who preyed on a seven-year-old; he has proven again that he cannot be trusted around children,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. “His 25-year sentence is appropriately severe and serves as a stern reminder that crimes against children will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The West Jordan Police Department investigated this case, while Special Assistant United States Attorney Carl R. Hollan and Assistant United States Attorney Carol A. Dain prosecuted it.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aiming to address child sexual exploitation online through collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah advances community well-being through victim assistance programs and public safety initiatives according to the official website. The office maintains locations in Salt Lake City and St. George with access points such as Hill Air Force Base according to its official website. Operating under the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official site, it employs about 85 staff members including approximately 45 assistant attorneys as reported by its website.
The office enforces federal laws throughout all counties in Utah—including areas with national parks and Indian reservations—to protect residents’ safety according to its official site. It prosecutes federal crimes across public lands as well as civil cases affecting Indian reservations while maintaining facilities in two cities as outlined by its website.