Minnesota ‘Sextortion’ Suspect is a Substitute Teacher
Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Twin Cities area substitute teacher is facing federal charges involving child pornography and "sextortion" allegations.
The Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota says 25-year-old Mitchell Ottinger of Carver was arrested on Wednesday on two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography along with two counts of making extortionate threats that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison if he is convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court Friday afternoon.
According to the charges, Ottinger used multiple Internet accounts to communicate with his alleged victims and convinced them to create and send him sexually explicit videos and images. He is also accused of threatening to post the materials if the victim took steps to block or ignore him, and would then make additional demands of the child.
Prosecutors say the online aliases allegedly used by Ottinger included "Taylor Malek" and "Rachel Meyer." Investigators believe there may be additional victims and are encouraging anyone with information involving the case to call the FBI at 763-569-8000.
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