ST. PAUL, Minn. — A 22-year-old Crystal man has pleaded guilty to five counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Dapree Richard Christlieb-Peterson pleaded guilty to the charges in a St. Paul court in February 2024. 

Citing court documents, acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick said Christlieb-Peterson used internet, social media and text messages to engage in sexually explicit conversations with at least five girls in Minnesota, Florida and elsewhere between April 2022 and September 2023. 

Federal officials say Christlieb-Peterson would coerce the girls into engaging in illegal sexual encounters with him, record the encounters on a cell phone and then distribute the videos to others. 

Christlieb-Peterson's sentencing has not been scheduled.  

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security worked on the investigation as part of Project Safe Childhood — a nationwide initiative started by the Department of Justice that aims to combat child sexual exploitation. 

If you know of a child who may have been a victim of exploitation, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website.