From the Attorney General’s Office:

March 14, 2022 (Anchorage, AK) – A former federal Department of Homeland Security officer was indicted on two sexual assault charges by an Anchorage Grand Jury last week, following his indictment in 2021 on seven other charges.

Bert Christopher “Chris” Heitstuman, 51, of Anchorage, was indicted for one count of sexual assault in the first degree and one count of sexual assault in the second degree.

Heitstuman was previously indicted in February 2021 for seven counts of sexual assault in the second degree and attempted sexual assault in the second degree.  These charges amount to four different victims and eight different assaults.   

Heitstuman is accused of abusing his position as a law enforcement officer and as a security officer in connection with all the charges against him. Heitstuman was a law enforcement specialist with the Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service, and six of the eight incidents are related to conduct alleged to have occurred while he was in that job. The other two incidents are related to conduct alleged to have occurred while Heitstuman was employed as a security officer at the Dimond Center mall in Anchorage.

The most recent charges are related to his conduct as a DHS officer.

The sexual assaults are alleged to have occurred from 2011 to 2018.

The indictments are the result of an ongoing, multi-year investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Anchorage Police Department with collaboration from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Alaska Department of Law.

Bail had previously been set at $11,000 with a third-party custodian required and remained at that level after the addition of the most recent charges.

Anyone who may have any further information regarding Heitstuman is asked to call the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441. 

The charges in the indictments are only allegations and are not evidence of guilt. Heitstuman is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the prosecution must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.