Former Danbury resident sentenced to 28 years in prison for child sex abuse in Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WTNH) – A former Danbury resident was sentenced this week to 28 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child in Michigan, according to U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten.

Kristian Ignacio Feliz, 24, was indicted in March 2023 and extradited from Spain to face charges in November.

During sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Jane Beckering noted the “manipulative” and violent nature of the crimes, and noted that the victim would be impacted for the rest of her life.

“Every child deserves to grow up safe, healthy and free from abuse,” Totten said in a statement Thursday. “Let today's sentence serve as a warning that my office takes the protection of children extremely seriously. »

He said that in this case, Feliz was a sexual predator living overseas who targeted a victim in Kalamazoo and traveled there to abuse her before leaving the country.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, in October 2022, Feliz was a graduate student in Barcelona studying quantum physics when he developed an online relationship with a 12-year-old girl in Kalamazoo.

He told the girl he loved her and called her his “little wife”, while creating a system of pressure on her to send him pornographic videos of herself.

He traveled to Kalamazoo last January, where the U.S. Attorney's Office said he filmed himself abusing the victim in her home over three days. After he left, he also told the girl to sell the videos online and send him money.

“No matter how far away those committing these crimes are, we will use all of our available resources to extradite you to the United States so that you can face justice,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in the Michigan.