Minnesota Man Convicted on Federal Child Pornography Charges
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - A federal jury has convicted of Minnesota man on a list of child pornography related charges.
The US Attorney for Minnesota says 56-year-old Michael Francis Hamer "knowingly and frequently obtained, distributed, and accessed child pornography online." The Minneapolis man was previously convicted of solicitation of a child to engage in sexual conduct in a 2012 case that included his admission to possessing child pornography. In that case, he was sentenced to probation.
In the federal court case, Hamer was accused of using Facebook and Gmail to "directly message self-identified minor victims, some as young as 11 years old, to request and distribute images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors." Court records also say Hamer joined Facebook Messenger group chats to solicit and access child sexual abuse materials.
His trial in St. Paul ended Thursday with the jury finding him guilty of one count each of receipt of child pornography and distribution of child pornography, along with two counts of access with intent to view child pornography beginning in August 2020 and continuing through January 2022.
His sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
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