Ex-Special Ed Worker From Coon Rapids Sentence In Sextortion Scheme

COON RAPIDS, MN — A Coon Rapids man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his conviction in a sextortion scheme that targeted minors online, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced Monday.

Glen Robert Anderson, 24, previously worked as a middle school paraprofessional in special education.

Anderson pleaded guilty on June 28, 2022, to two counts of production of child pornography, one count of enticement of a minor, and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort. He used Snapchat, Grindr, and an online gaming forum he owned and administered to carry out the scheme against children, investigators said.

Anderson's forum required users to submit their age in an application before approval, according to authorities.

From April 2016, through August 2021, Anderson used his position as the forum administrator to groom children to produce child pornography and engage in sexual activity with him, investigators said.

Anderson provided the minor-age users with in-game perks, privileges, and other gifts as part of his scheme, according to authorities.

He coerced a 13-year-old to engage in sexually explicit acts on camera, authorities said. Later, Anderson threatened to release those images if the child did not follow Anderson’s demands, investigators said.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, the Erie County, Ohio Sheriff's Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Waterloo Regional Police Service in Ontario, Canada.