Former high school teacher Daniel Janke of Mankato, Minn., has been sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, Janke, 54, knowingly obtained and distributed images and videos depicting the graphic sexual exploitation of children. During an investigation of a specific chatroom on Kik, a social media application, an undercover law enforcement agent encountered Janke using the pseudonym “Jack Frost.” Between Oct. 23, 2023, and Nov. 1, 2023, they exchanged multiple messages and Janke sent multiple CSAM images and a video to the undercover agent. A subsequent forensic examination of Janke’s electronic devices and Kik account confirmed that he collected and distributed sexually explicit images of pubescent and pre-pubescent minor victims.
“It’s hard to imagine someone working with children and then making the choice to exploit them on the internet,” said Kirkpatrick. “Teachers, coaches, daycare workers—it doesn’t matter who you are—my office will continue to prosecute predators in positions of trust to the fullest extent of the law.”
On Oct. 29, 2024, Janke pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material. Janke was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court by Judge John R. Tunheim. When pronouncing the sentence, Judge Tunheim specifically noted an aggravating aspect of the Janke matter was “the haunting reality that the distribution of CSAM material on the internet means it lives on forever.”
Janke was also ordered to pay $18,000 in special assessments that benefit minors directly impacted by these types of offenses.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
