Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty to International Sexual Exploitation of Children Following HSI St. Paul Investigation

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota announced July 26 that Steven John Sokel, 61, of Blooming Prairie, pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting children outside the United States.

According to court documents, between April 2022 and September 2022, Sokel was engaged in the production of child sexual abuse material. He was also found to be in possession of sexually explicit images and videos of minors.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) St. Paul and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

Report suspected child exploitation to the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.

Learn more about HSI’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSISaintPaul.