Idaho man indicted for sexually exploiting children in Alaska

ANCHORAGE — A Bonner County man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage on charges of sexually exploiting children and production of child pornography in Alaska.

According to federal court documents, Christopher Panagiotou-Scigliano, 39, coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. He is also charged in Idaho’s First Judicial District Court with the sexual abuse of multiple child victims. Announcement of the indictment was made Monday by Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson of the District of Alaska and Acting Special Agent in Charge Adam Pierce of the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office.

The Daily Bee does not identify alleged victims of sexual abuse. Certain details such as geographic locations, precise ages and other information have been omitted to keep those details from identifying an alleged victim.

In 2015, Panagiotou-Scigliano moved from Idaho to a farm in southeastern Alaska. After his arrival, Panagiotou-Scigliano allegedly arranged for several of the children he had been grooming and abusing in Idaho to visit his farm in Alaska, federal officials said in making the announcement. When the children arrived, Panagiotou-Scigliano allegedly continued grooming and sexually exploiting them by taking numerous sexually explicit images and videos of the victims.

In addition, law enforcement officials said they recovered images and videos of child sexual exploitation that appear to have been downloaded from the internet. Panagiotou-Scigliano was taken into custody in Boundary County on July 23, 2021. He made an initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy W. Dale of the U.S. District Court for Idaho, who ordered him detained without bail pending his return to Alaska.

In Idaho, Panagiotou-Scigliano faces 13 criminal charges across three different cases, including statutory rape, lewd conduct, sexual exploitation of a child and two sexual battery. The charges involve three individuals who were minors at the time.

If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years imprisonment, and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

If the public has any further information regarding Panagiotou-Scigliano's activities, please contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.