A Hastings man was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for producing and possessing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen’s office announced Monday.

Hunter James Geidl, 29, was indicted in 2024 on three counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Court documents state that in May 2022, Geidl “knowingly possessed” a video of a minor engaged in sexually explicit activities. Then from July 29, 2022 until March 22, 2024, court documents say Geidl allegedly employed and used minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce videos.

“Protecting our nation’s children is a mission we hold sacred in the FBI,” said Richard Evanchec, the Interim Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office.  “The sentence imposed on Mr. Geidl should send a strong message about our work to bring to justice those who prey on America’s kids.  If you have information about additional victims of Hunter James Geidl who have not yet been identified, you are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.”

During the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez said while Geidl may be a first-time defendant, he is not a first-time offender, Rosen’s office said.

Geidl’s prison sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release.

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