Ex-Twin Cities Teacher Gets 40 Years In 'Sextortion' Case

ST. PAUL, MN — A Carver County man was sentenced Monday to 40 years in prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, after prosecutors said he produced child pornography and committed extortion in a years-long "sextortion" scheme.

On Oct. 19, Michael J. Ottinger, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and one count of interstate communication with intent to extort.

The case against Ottinger began when someone filed a report to the FBI. While working as a former substitute teacher and paraprofessional, Ottinger used fake online personas to obtain sexually explicit images and videos of minors and adults by using false online personas, according to federal investigators.

Ottinger threatened to share the images and videos of his victims in order to extort more images and videos from them, authorities said.

Over the course of several years, Ottinger targeted a total of 42 people in his scheme, according to investigators. At least 23 of them were minors, including some he knew from the school district where he worked, authorities said.

During his sentencing hearing, Judge Wilhelmina Wright said that Ottinger committed heinous crimes that caused grievous harm and suffering in the lives of the people he targeted.

U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger said his office "stands united with our law enforcement partners in combatting child sexual exploitation."

"For nearly a decade, Mitchell Ottinger engaged in a sextortion scheme that targeted dozens of vulnerable, young victims," the federal prosecutor said. "This predator will now spend the next 40 years behind bars."