Portland man sentenced to 15 years in prison for producing child pornography and sextortion

A Portland man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for sextortion of a minor and producing child abuse material. Aaron Eugene Bjarnason, 25, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge John R. Tunheim to 180 months in prison, followed by a decade of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

In May 2022, Bjarnason sent a message to a minor on his Instagram, asking for images in exchange for money. He showed a screenshot of his bank account to be credible and pressured the victim with promises of money. Bjarnason became more aggressive over time, threatening to distribute the images to the victim’s father and peers if his demands were not met. After the minor was ordered to send explicit content, the FBI and local sheriff’s office gathered enough evidence to prosecute.

This case comes to an end as part of Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative aimed at combating child exploitation. Since its launch in 2006, the initiative has coordinated the efforts of federal, state, and local agencies to track down and punish online predators and rescue victims. Bjarnason’s conviction adds to the proven effectiveness of a unified stand against the exploitation of the innocent, highlighted by the initiative’s consolidation of resources.

The joint investigation by the Carver County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI led to the discovery and subsequent conviction of Bjarnason, who pleaded guilty on April 2, 2024, to one count of production of child pornography. U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead assisted in the case and successfully prosecuted the case, underscoring the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s commitment to targeting individuals who prey on the vulnerable, the DOJ announcement said.