Man sentenced to 50 years for child abuse

ANCHORAGE — Having been convicted of multiple sex crimes in two different courts, it’s more likely than not that Robert Cunningham will never know freedom again.

Cunningham, 49, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in a U.S. District Court hearing in Anchorage on Nov. 25. In September, he also was sentenced on state charges to serve 88 years for sexual abuse of a minor. In both cases, Cunningham received the maximum sentence. A U.S. Attorney’s office press release states that the two terms will be served concurrently, meaning the first 50 years he spends behind bars will count toward both sentences.

The state charges relate to sexual abuse he inflicted on two children over the course of a decade, starting when they were 5 and 6 years old, respectively.

The federal charges relate to pornography Cunningham produced with what appear to be two different children in the time between September of 2002 and May of 2003, when the children were 8 and 12 years old.

Identities of all the children — who are now adults — were kept secret in court proceedings. Investigation into the state case began in January of 2013 when the two victims in that case came forward.

A U.S. Attorney’s office press release on the federal pornography charges details evidence of how Cunningham intimidated the children.

“Cunningham coerced the children by his physical presence — 6’5” tall and over 300 pounds — when he pressed the children up against the ceiling and the wall to impress upon them that they were powerless against him,” the press release states. “He also used nitrous oxide to make them compliant with his sexual abuse. A 56-gallon tank of nitrous oxide was found in Cunningham’s home, and exhibited in court during the sentencing, along with the mask that Cunningham placed over the children’s noses and mouths.”

Sharon Gleason, the federal judge that imposed that 50-year term said there was no way to protect the public from Cunningham regardless of how old he might be when he is let out of prison, and thus she ordered him to be closely monitored if he ever is released.

“Judge Gleason noted that Cunningham’s use of nitrous oxide on the children bordered on torture, and required life-long incarceration,” the U.S. Attorney’s office states in its press release.

For its part, the attorney’s office said that child sex crimes are a “top priority.”

“The lengthy sentence in this case reflects the horrendous victimization perpetrated on innocent victims by Cunningham. Working with our law enforcement partners to protect children is a top priority and a constant mission,” U.S. Attorney for the state of Alaska Karen Loeffler said in the press release.

The Cunningham case also was part of a nationwide Department of Justice effort dubbed Project Safe Childhood that cracked down on child sex crimes, child pornography trafficking and Internet crimes against children.

“The United States Attorney’s Office has teamed with state and local agencies and organizations to increase law enforcement presence on the Internet, and to educate the public about safe Internet use, thereby reducing the risk that children might fall prey to online sexual predators,” the press release states.

For more information on the Project Safe Childhood initiative, visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.