Hastings man sentenced to 16.5 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material

A southern Minnesota man has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material.

On Thursday, a judge sentenced Hunter James Geidl, of Hastings, to 198 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release, according to federal court documents.

Geidl pleaded guilty last June to one count of production of child pornography.

Between 2021 and 2024, Geidl employed and used victims to "engage in sexually explicit conduct" to produce child pornography videos, according to the indictment. He also knowingly possessed a video of a minor victim "engaging in sexually explicit activities," court documents said.   

The indictment says Geidl solicited sexually explicit images from at least a dozen minor girls; the youngest was 13 years old.

A grand jury indicted Geidl in December 2024. At that time, investigators told the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota that there may be other victims related to this case. 

Anyone who believes their child had contact with Geidl is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or submit a tip online.