Eagan Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

A 50-year-old Eagan man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing two images of child pornography. Joel Leslie Wells entered his plea in St. Paul before United States District Court Judge Donovan Frank. Wells was originally indicted on December 11, 2007, and a superseding indictment was filed on October 7, 2008.

In his plea agreement, Wells admitted that on December 30, 2004, he possessed two videos containing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Wells also admitted receiving the videos via a computer. In the plea agreement, Wells also admitted he possessed at least 300 images of child pornography.

Wells faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for his crime. Judge Frank will determine his sentence at a future date.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Eagan Police Department and the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Otteson and Erica H. MacDonald.

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 of 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.

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