Minnesota Man, Former Paraprofessional Sentenced for Child Sextortion
Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News)- The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota has announced a Coon Rapids man convicted in a child sextortion scheme will spend the next 20 years in federal prison.
A Statement from U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Andrew Lugar says the sentence also carries a 12-year supervised release period following the prison sentence. He said the scheme targeted minors through social media and an online gaming forum.
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Court documents in the federal case say while working as a middle school paraprofessional, 24-year-old Glen Anderson used multiple internet and social media accounts to chat with minors. He also owned and ran an online gaming forum that required players to fill out an application that included a requirement they disclose their age.
Prosecutors accuse Anderson of using the forum to groom minors to produce child pornography and engage in sexual activity with him from April 2016 through August of 2021 by providing them with perks, privileges and other gifts. Court documents cite one example in which Anderson coerced a 13-year-old to engage in sexual acts to produce images and videos that Anderson then threatened to release if the teenager did not comply with his demands, according to Lugar’s statement.
Anderson pled guilty to two counts of production of child pornography, one count of enticement of a minor, and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort last June. The FBI, Anoka County Sheriff’s Office and Erie County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office led the investigation.