Convicted Violent Sex Offender Sentenced For Child Pornography

Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 5:50 P.M. ET. 4 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

SEATTLE, WA.- A 72-year-old Skagit County, Washington, man who has been convicted of raping multiple children dating back to 1988 will most likely die in federal prison after being sentenced on Monday for possessing thousands of digital images and video files depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of prepubescent and pubescent children, including some containing young children being horrifically sexually assaulted by adults.

     According to Acting Teal Luthy Miller, on Monday, June 2, 2025, Alan Lewis Meirhofer, 72, of Skagit County, Washington, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge John H. Chung to 180 months in federal prison for his conviction of Receiving Child Pornography; and Possession of Child Pornography.

     In handing down the sentence on Monday, Judge Chung noted, “This case involves very serious, terrible, and heartbreaking crimes.”

Meirhofer Was Civilly Committed In 2000

     Meirhofer, who is a repeat violent sex offender who was civilly committed to the McNeil Island sexual predator detention facility for 17 years, has remained in custody since his arrest in 2021 after he was found in possession of child pornography.

     “Following his release from civil commitment, Mr. Meirhofer adapted his predatory behavior to modern technology,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “He exploited children via the internet. In just over two years, there were 14 CyberTips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children because of his sexual exploitation of minors via Google and Instagram.”

According To The Charging Information Filed With The Court

     According to the charging documents filed with the District Court, Meirhofer befriended teen boys in the Skagit County, Washington, area by inviting them to hang out at his residence, where he provided them with gifts such as food, clothing, alcohol, cash, and marijuana. When one of the boys borrowed Meirhofer’s phone, he noticed that Meirhofer had sent digital images of the boy’s friends to members of a group chat. The teen also saw digital images of child pornography on the phone. The boy’s mother alerted the Police, and Meirhofer was taken into custody in March 2021, and his electronic devices were seized.

     A subsequent forensic examination of Meirhofer’s devices uncovered that he had received and shared child pornography while he served as the administrator of a Telegram group devoted to sharing child pornography and coordinating pedophilic relationships between adults and children. Investigators also uncovered deeply disturbing communications with minors Meirhofer was grooming and paying for sexually explicit photos. An Investigator located attempts by Meirhofer to set up the minors with Meirhofer’s registered sex offender friends. 

Meirhofer Has An Extensive And Violent Criminal History

    Meirhofer has an extensive and violent criminal history dating back nearly forty years. In 1988, Meirhofer was convicted of burglary, kidnapping, and rape. In all, Meirhofer broke into at least four different homes, cutting the phone lines and violently raping children at knifepoint. One victim was stalked and then kidnapped from his Bellingham home. In 1990, Meirhofer was convicted of first-degree Burglary While Armed with a Deadly Weapon; and second-degree Assault. In 2000, Meirhofer was civilly committed to the Sexual Violent Predator Civil Commitment Center on McNeil Island. 

     He was released in 2017 as a registered sex offender Level 3, with the highest risk for reoffending.

     In asking for the 15-year federal prison sentence, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cecelia Gregson wrote to the court, “Meirhofer comes before this court for sentencing like no other defendant. His prior convictions and relevant conduct demonstrate he is the very worst thing that can happen to a child. Alan Meirhofer represents every parent’s worst nightmare and every child’s boogeyman. Decades of incarceration did not deter him from sexually exploiting children at the first opportunity provided. Meirhofer never engaged in sexual deviancy treatment while on McNeil Island because he never intended to stop feeding his deviancy. Meirhofer learned to utilize technology in order to ferret out new paths to abuse children despite his age, appearance, and poor physical condition.”