A Wasilla neurologist was sentenced on June 15 to 3.4 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to the Alaska U.S. Attorney’s Office, court documents reveal that law enforcement became aware of Jeffrey Sponsler, 68, in February 2025, when another individual saw him masturbating to a video of two nude children being played from a laptop.
Based on that information and after obtaining a warrant, law enforcement searched Sponsler’s home for electronics and other evidence of child exploitation.
During the search, law enforcement discovered dozens of electronics throughout the house, including desktop computers, laptops, external hard drives, memory cards, DVDs and even VHS tapes. He also possessed copies of several books depicting nude children and very young adults.
Sponsler portrayed himself as a trusted member of our community, when in reality, he had been viewing, organizing, and collecting a disturbing amount of CSAM for his own perverse gratification.
Forensic review of his devices revealed an extensive collection of CSAM. Sponsler ordered videos and pictures of nudist and naturist communities abroad. He then used his computer to edit images from the videos to create his own videos and slideshows of CSAM focused on young girls.
One external hard drive contained about 59,000 images and videos of nude minors.
Prior to his arrest, Sponsler was a practicing neurologist and owned his own clinic, Alaska Brain Center. He also owned Alaska Music and Arts, a karate, music and dance studio.
On May 21, 2025, Sponsler was indicted by a federal grand jury and subsequently arrested.
On March 5, 2026, Sponsler pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. During sentencing, the court also ordered Sponsler to pay a $20,000 fine and serve 15 years on supervised release following completion of his federal prison sentence.
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“Mr. Sponsler meticulously curated his collection of CSAM to feed his fixation of children and was able to fly under the radar of law enforcement for many years due to his unique collection methods,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Thankfully, a concerned member of the community reported Sponsler’s behavior and he will no longer live as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, fronting as a trusted member of the community and professional, while sexualizing children from behind closed doors at day’s end.”
“Sponsler portrayed himself as a trusted member of our community, when in reality, he had been viewing, organizing, and collecting a disturbing amount of CSAM for his own perverse gratification,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Our children are safer now thanks to a concerned citizen who reported Sponsler’s crimes to the FBI. This sentencing reinforces the message that sexual exploitation crimes against children will not be tolerated by our community, the FBI, and our dedicated law enforcement partners.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
