ANCHORAGE – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging a Wasilla man with kidnapping and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Anderson was arrested on November 3 by Alaska State Troopers and remains in custody at Anchorage Correctional Complex. He is a registered sex offender based on a 2001 conviction for sexual assault in the first degree in Kenai.
Anderson also faces State of Alaska charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual abuse of a minor, robbery, assault, misconduct involving a controlled substance and tampering with evidence.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska made the announcement.
The Alaska State Troopers and FBI are investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI’s Joint Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (J-CARD) Team. The FBI’s J-CARD Team consists of specially trained investigators and intel personnel from the FBI, Alaska State Troopers and Anchorage Police Department who are experienced in child abduction cases and can rapidly deploy anywhere in the state. The team is designed to provide investigative, technical, and resource assistance to state and local law enforcement during the most critical time period following a child abduction.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Schroeder and Adam Alexander are prosecuting the case.
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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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