(Alpha News): A Homeland Security Investigations special agent has been charged in federal court with production of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
Special Agent Timothy Ryan Gregg, 51, of Eagan, Minn., is accused of coercing and enticing a minor victim to take part in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography.
Charges say the activity came to light after the father of the minor victim discovered multiple sexually explicit images and videos on the minor victim’s cellphone. The images and videos depicted the minor and an older individual engaged in sexually explicit activity. The individual in the images and videos was later identified as Gregg, who is a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and a Task Force Officer with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Charging documents state that the two met through an app and that Gregg booked hotels using his HSI email credentials to book the reservations. The 17-year-old minor said she believed the acts were consensual, although she was underage.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will always hold defendants in positions of public trust to account, particularly when they commit crimes against vulnerable children,” said Thompson. “I am proud of the swift and decisive action of the FBI and the Rochester Police Department, who responded immediately and worked together to take Gregg safely into custody.”
“The allegations in this case represent a gross violation of both the law and the responsibilities entrusted to those who wear a badge,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “There is no place in law enforcement — or in any position of public trust — for those who exploit minors. The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to investigate such acts and ensure that no one is above the law, regardless of their rank or role.”
Gregg made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court Wednesday, before Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster, and was ordered to remain in custody pending further proceedings.
Just last month, a Minnesota state trooper was federally charged with producing child pornography. In that unrelated case, Jeremy Plonski also remains in custody at Sherburne County Jail.
