Minneapolis man sentenced to 25 years in prison for producing child pornography over social media

(ABC 6 News) – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 300 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for coercing minors to produce child pornography over social media, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in 2019, 41-year-old Nelson Harner admitted to connecting with several minors on Instagram and Facebook and coercing them to engage in sexual activity for the purposes of producing child pornography. Harner also possessed multiple images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material.

On July 11, 2023, Harner pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement. He was sentenced on May 15, 2024, in U.S. District Court.

According to Luger, this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.