Medina Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography

A 26-year-old Medina man plead guilty earlier today in federal court in Minneapolis to one count of receiving child pornography. Erik Adams Nikkolas Reading appeared before United States District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery to enter his plea. He was indicted on July 22, 2009.

In his plea agreement, Reading admitted that on October 9, 2007, he received via the Internet a video containing visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

For his crime, Reading faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum penalty of five years. Judge Montgomery will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Minnesota Cyber Crimes Task Force, which is sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service. The Task Force collaborated on the investigation with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office, and the Windom Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Dees.

The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to combating the sexual exploitation of children, particularly via the Internet. For more information about these efforts, please visit the Department’s Project Safe Childhood website, at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.