Sex Offender Sentenced To 188 Months In Federal Prison For Producing Child Pornography

Lance Plunske will begin serving his federal sentence after a state sentence of 144 months in prison

United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger today announced the sentencing of LANCE DEAN PLUNSKE, 57, to 188 months in federal prison for production of child pornography. PLUNSKE was indicted on July 14, 2014, and pleaded guilty on November 1, 2014, to one count of Production of Child Pornography. The defendant was sentenced today before Judge Ann D. Montgomery in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minn.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, between August 2008 and January 7, 2009, PLUNSKE knowingly persuaded and coerced a 15-year-old girl to pose nude while he took digital photos focused on the victim’s genitals, and produced visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct involving the victim.

PLUNSKE was convicted in 2009 in Traverse County, Minn., of First Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct. He was sentenced to serve 144 months in state prison. After PLUNSKE’S conviction in Traverse County, the United States Attorney’s Office investigated and prosecuted the defendant for the production of child pornography, which led to the conviction in this case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case resulted from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Traverse County Sheriff’s Office.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clifford B. Wardlaw.


Defendant Information:

LANCE DEAN PLUNSKE, 57
Moose Lake, Minn.

Convicted:
• Production of Child Pornography, 1 count

Sentenced:
• 188 months in prison
• 15 years supervised release