Anchorage grand jury indicts former Homeland Security officer on multiple counts of sexual assault

An Anchorage grand jury has indicted a former Department of Homeland Security officer on several counts of sexual assault involving three female victims between 2012 and 2018, the Alaska Department of Law said in a statement Friday.

Bert Christopher, or Chris, Heitstuman was charged with five counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree attempted sexual assault, according to the indictment.

During one of the incidents described in the indictment, Heitstuman is accused of telling the victim, “If you come after me, I’ll come after you,” as he assaulted her.

Heitstuman was arrested on Thursday and is being held on an $11,000 cash-only bond with a round-the-clock, third-party custodian required.

Five of the seven charges were related to incidents that occurred during Heitstuman’s employment as a Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service law enforcement specialist, the statement said.

This indictment stemmed from a multi-year investigation by the FBI and the Anchorage Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska and the Alaska Department of Law collaborated.

The Department of Law asked for anyone with additional information on Heitstuman’s activities to call the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441.

If convicted, Heitstuman faces 99 years in prison.

A woman who worked for security at the Anchorage Museum filed a federal lawsuit against Heitstuman and Homeland Security last year. The woman asserts that Heitstuman sexually assaulted her multiple times when he was on duty as a Homeland Security officer in 2017, according to her complaint.

In the complaint, the woman asserts that after Heitstuman sexually assaulted her, he threatened her and said no one would believe her if she reported him because of his position at Homeland Security.

The woman’s complaint said that additional evidence will show that Heitstuman had “acted in a sexually inappropriate manner” toward members of the public.

She is seeking $1.2 million in damages.