Cottage Grove Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing 142 Photos, 11 Videos of Child Pornography

A 40-year-old Cottage Grove man pleaded guilty today to possessing 142 images and 11 video files of child pornography. Appearing before United States District Court Judge John Tunheim in Minneapolis, Pang Thao pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. Thao was indicted on August 11, 2009.

In his plea agreement, Thao admitted that on April 30, 2008, he possessed items on his computer that contained visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also admitted the items had been transmitted over the Internet. For his crime, Thao faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Judge Tunheim will determine his sentence at a future date.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Svendsen.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a national initiative to combat the growing epidemic of sexually exploiting children, particularly via the Internet. PSC was launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in May 2006. Led by the Department’s Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, along with U.S. Attorney’s nationwide, PSC encourages federal, state, and local law enforcement partnerships and provides resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who abuse children while identifying and rescuing victims of that crime. For more information about PSC, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.