Former middle school paraprofessional pleads guilty to child sextortion scheme

MINNEAPOLIS — A former middle school paraprofessional from Coon Rapids pleaded guilty to a sextortion scheme that targeted minors, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Glen Anderson, 24, was charged with two counts of production of child pornography, one count of enticement of a minor, and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort.

Anderson used multiple internet applications and social media accounts for email, file sharing and chatting with minors, including Snapchat and Grindr, according to court documents.

Anderson owned and administered an online gaming forum in which users were required to submit an application, which included the age of the user. Anderson used his position as forum administrator to groom minors to produce child pornography and engage in sexual activity with him.

Anderson would provide minors with in-game perks, privileges and other gifts in exchange for sexually explicit acts.

In one example provided by the court, Anderson coerced a 13-year-old victim to engage in sexually explicit acts for the purpose of producing images and videos. Anderson later threatened to release those sexually explicit images if the victim did not respond to his demands.

Anderson’s sentencing hearing is on October 25, 2022.