Eagan Man Charged with Distribution of Child Pornography

An Eagan man has been charged with possessing and distributing hundreds of images of child pornography.

Jonathan Paul Haag, 22, is charged with eight counts of possession of child pornography, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, a Minneapolis police detective assigned to the Minnesota Crimes Against Children Task Force was investigating the possession and distribution of child pornography last May.

On May 2, 2011, the detective discovered a computer containing 93 files matching suspected child pornography hash values and sharing those files with other computers. The files included images and videos of boys as young as 7 engaging in sexual activity, the complaint charges.

On May 3, the detective again obtained a file list from the same computer containing 127 files matching suspected child pornography. Those files included images of children as young as 5 engaging in sexual activity.

The detective traced the computer’s IP address to Haag’s home in Eagan, according to the complaint.

The investigation continued, and the detective found more child pornography files originating from Haag’s computer on May 17, July 4, July 5, July 23 and July 24, the complaint alleges.

Police obtained a search warrant for Haag’s home and executed it last July 26. Officers found a computer in a basement room; a small license plate with the name Jonathan was attached to the room’s door. When police found it, the computer was actively downloading child pornography, the complaint says.

While the search warrant was being executed, Haag arrived home and told police that he lived there with his mother. He admitted that he had executed a program and started the child pornography file downloads running on the computer while police were there, and also gave police a list of search terms that he used to search for child pornography files online, according to the complaint.

Haag also told police that he had more than 1,000 child pornography files on the computer and its external hard drive, and provided officers with a password to decrypt the folder containing the downloaded files, the complaint charges.

A subsequent forensic analysis of the hard drives and other electronic media turned up 713 child pornography files, according to court documents.

Haag, who is not in custody, is scheduled to make a first appearance on the child pornography charges June 4 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.