Convicted child molester charged with trying to publish pornographic children’s book

An Indiana man convicted of molesting a child is now accused of trying to publish pornographic children’s books in another state.

Michael Christianson, 55, is charged with transportation of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana.

Christianson, of LaPorte, allegedly authored and submitted three pornographic books for publication on July 2 to a publisher in North Carolina, according to a criminal complaint.

He was arrested on Aug. 9 and appeared before a federal judge weeks later, when he reportedly said “God hates me” while waiting for court to begin, the Northwest Indiana Times reported. The charge is punishable by up to 40 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Christianson’s books appeared to be geared toward children. They used large fonts, simple words and rhyming sentences, according to prosecutors.

The books featured images and text that encouraged children to play naked with one another, and encouraged children to play with naked adults, prosecutors said. Photographs and illustrations in the books also included depictions of minor children engaging in sexually explicit conduct, prosecutors said.

Christianson was convicted of molesting a 12-year-old boy in 2003 and was sentenced to a 30-year prison sentence, according to prosecutors. The child told authorities that he had been abused over the previous two years.

Christianson, who must register as a sexual predator for the rest of his life, was released from prison in 2016 and was still on probation when he was charged in August, prosecutors said.