Substitute teacher pleads guilty to sextortion charges

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KVRR) – Federal prosecutors say a Carver County man has pleaded guilty to charges related to a years-long sextortion scheme.

Twenty-five-year-old Mitchell Ottinger, a former substitute teacher and paraprofessional, engaged in a scheme to obtain sexually explicit images and videos of minors and adults by using false online personas.  Ottinger threatened to distribute the images and videos in order to extort more images and videos.

Acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk says Ottinger victimized more than 10 minors over the course of several years, some of whom he knew from the school district where he worked.

Law enforcement was alerted when one of the victims contacted the FBI.

Based on the evidence obtained in this investigation, authorities believe there may be additional victims.  Anyone with information is encouraged to call the FBI Minneapolis Division at 763-569-8000.