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Christopher Michael Welcher, 44, of Grantville, Georgia

Status:

Registered Sex Offender

Investigation started: March, 2025

Originated from: Operation

Lead Agency: Federal Bureau of Investigation

State & County: Georgia, Coweta County

Assisting Agencies: Federal Bureau of Investigation

Booking Agency:

Booked / Released: /

Charges: 

Investigation Summary

As part of Operation Restore Justice, Christopher Welcher was charged with enticement of a minor, interstate travel to engage in an illicit sex act with a minor, possession of child sexual abuse material, and commission of a felony by a registered sex offender. On March 4, 2025, Welcher, a registered sex offender who previously served more than six years in federal prison for distributing child sex abuse materials, allegedly exchanged sexually explicit text messages with an undercover investigator he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. Welcher then drove from Alabama to the vicinity of a northwest Georgia high school to allegedly meet and molest the girl. Police arrested Welcher upon his arrival at the meeting location and seized his phone, which contained hundreds of images of child sex abuse. He was arrested on May 16, 2025.

Case Information

Court: United States District Court, Northern District of Georgia

Case #: 4:25-CR-00020-WMR-WEJ-2

Filing Date: April 23, 2025

Charging Instrument: Indictment

On August 15th, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia, announced in a press release that Christopher Michael Welcher had reached a plea agreement in this case.

According to plea documents, Welcher will plea guilty to Count 1 of his indictment and prosecutors will Nolle Pros the remaining counts.

Welcher’s wife, Connie Lynn Thompson, has plead guilty to Count 5, the only Count for which she was indicted and resulted from her destruction of evidence at the direction of Welcher following his arrest in this case.

Both Welcher and Thompson will be sentenced at a hearing scheduled for November 21st, 2025.

The charge for which Welcher has plead guilty, Attempted Enticement of a Minor  ( 18 USC 2422 ), has the following sentencing guideline.

  • Maximum term of imprisonment: Life.
  • Mandatory minimum term of imprisonment: 10 years
  • Term of supervised release: 5 years to Life.
  • Maximum fine: $250,000.00, due and payable immediately.
  • Full restitution, due and payable immediately, to all victims of the offense and relevant conduct.
  • Mandatory special assessment of $100.00 for each of count of conviction, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3013(a)(2)(A), due and payable immediately.
  • Mandatory special assessment of $5,000 pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3014, unless the court determines that the Defendant is indigent.
  • Forfeiture of any and all proceeds obtained as a result of the offense and any and all property used or intended to be used to facilitate the offense.

Due to Welcher having served time in Federal prison for a previous CSE case, an additional 5 years is added to the Mandatory minimum making it 15 years.

The charge for which Thompson has plead guilty, Obstruction of Justice  ( 18 USC 1512(C)18 USC 1512(C) ), has the following sentencing guideline.

  • Maximum term of imprisonment: 20 years.
  • Mandatory minimum term of imprisonment: None.
  • Term of supervised release: 0 to 3 years.
  • Maximum term of probation: 5 years.
  • Maximum fine: $250,000.00, due and payable immediately.
  • Full restitution, due and payable immediately/ to all victims of the offense and relevant conduct.
  • Mandatory special assessment: $100.00, due and payable immediately.

Welcher remains in custody pending his sentencing hearing, while Thompson remains out on bond pending the sentencing hearing.

Counts

Count 1 – Attempted Enticement of a Minor  ( 18 USC 2422 )

On or about March 4, 2025, in the Northern District of Georgia and elsewhere, the defendant, CHRISTOPHER WELCHER, using a facility and means of interstate and foreign commerce, that is, a cellular telephone connected to the Internet, knowingly attempted to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an individual who had not yet attained the age of 18 years to engage in sexual activity for which any person could be charged with a criminal offense, that is, Aggravated Child Molestation (O .C.G.A. §§ 16-6-4(a) & (c)), all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b).

Count 2 – Attempted Enticement of a Minor  ( 18 USC 2423 )

On or about March 4, 2025, in the Northern District of Georgia and elsewhere, the defendant, CHRISTOPHER WELCHER, did knowingly travel in interstate commerce, from Alabama to Georgia, for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct, as defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(g)(l), all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b).

Count 3 – Commission of a Felony Involving a Minor by a Registered Sex Offender  ( 18 USC 2260(A) )

On or about March 4, 2025, in the Northern District of Georgia and elsewhere, the defendant, CHRISTOPHER WELCHER, being required by Federal and other law to register as a sex offender, did commit a felony offense involving a minor in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b), and a felony offense involving a minor in violation of Title 18, Section 2423(b), to wit: the felony offenses alleged in Counts One and Two of this Indictment, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2260A.

Count 4 – Possession of a Visual Depiction of a Minor Engaging in Sexually Explicit Conduct  ( 18 USC 2252(A) )

On or about March 4, 2025, in the Northern District of Georgia, the defendant, CHRISTOPHER WELCHER, did knowingly possess at least one visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, as defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2256(2), said depiction (a) having been produced using a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, (b) involving at least one prepubescent minor and at least one minor who had not attained 12 years of age, and (c) having been shipped and transported in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, by any means, including by computer, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and 2252(b)(2).

Count 5 – Obstruction of Justice  ( 18 USC 1512(C)18 USC 1512(C) )

On or about March 12, 2025, in the Northern District of Georgia, the defendants, CHRISTOPHER WELCHER and CONNIE LYNN THOMPSON, aided and abetted by each other, did corruptly attempt to alter, destroy, mutilate, and conceal a record, document, and other object, namely, a laptop computer and digital storage devices, with the intent to impair their integrity and availability for use in an official proceeding, that is, a proceeding before a judge or court of the United States, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(c)(l), and Section 2.

Updates

August 20th, 2025

Christopher Michael Welcher reaches plea agreement with US Attorney’s Office, awaits sentencing. Wife also pleads guilty in charges related to case.

On August 15th, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia, announced in a press release that Christopher Michael Welcher had reached a plea agreement in this case.

Connie Lynn Thompson, Welcher’s wife, also plead guilty in a plea for her role in destroying evidence at the direction of Welcher following his arrest in this case.

The couple face sentencing in the case on November 21st, 2025.

Sex Offender Status

Information from the Georgia Sex Offender Registry shows that Welcher, born in 1980, registered on the GA SOR on Jan 28th, 2021 for an Out of State Sexual Offense for which he was convicted on Sep 1st, 2016. His last verified residence was in Grantville, GA. The residence is also connected through public records to Thompson.