Former paraprofessional sentenced in child sextortion scheme

Nick Ferraro, Pioneer Press
·1 min read

A former paraprofessional in the Anoka-Hennepin School District who admitted to a child sextortion scheme has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and 12 years of supervised release.

Glen Robert Anderson, 24, of Coon Rapids, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of production of child pornography and one count each of enticement of a minor and interstate communications with intent to extort. He was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.

Anderson worked as a substitute paraprofessional for Anoka-Hennepin schools between May 2019 and March 2022, when the district learned he was under investigation by the FBI, a district spokesman said.

According to the charges, between April 2016 and August 2021, Anderson used his position as administrator of an online gaming forum to groom minors to produce child pornography and engage in sexual acts with him, and that he provided the children with in-game perks, privileges and other gifts.

When one of his victims — who was about 13 years old when Anderson first contacted him — claimed Anderson abused him, Anderson threatened to publicly release explicit images of the victim, the charges said.

In another instance, Anderson allegedly used the social media apps Grindr and Snapchat to contact a 14-year-old boy, who he exchanged sexually explicit images with and at least twice sexually assaulted, the charges said.

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