Feb. 9—MINNEAPOLIS — A Royalton man was sentenced to 192 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for producing sexually explicit images of a minor, United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced Thursday, Feb. 8.

According to court documents, in November 2022, Andrew John Groen, 35, contacted a minor victim using the messaging application TextMe. Groen, who knew the victim was a minor, identified himself in messages as a 19-year-old man named “Tyler.” On multiple occasions, Groen coerced the minor to send sexually explicit images. Groen also sent the minor victim obscene images and links to pornography and encouraged the minor victim to have sex with an adult man identified in messages.

On Aug. 24, 2023, Groen pleaded guilty to one count of production and attempted production of child pornography. Groen was sentenced on Feb. 6 in U.S. District Court by Judge Jerry W. Blackwell.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Willmar Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary A. Taylor prosecuted the case.