MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 27-year-old Coon Rapids man is accused of paying a 12-year-old girl to take pornographic pictures of her, according to charges filed this week in Anoka County Court.
Daniel Lawrence Kennedy was charged with five counts of using a minor in a sexual performance or pornographic work, disseminating pornographic work, and five counts of possessing pornography involving minors in connection with the November 2012 incident.
According to the charges, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office received a report in May that a man identified as Kennedy had paid a 12-year-old girl to take nude pictures of her. Authorities interviewed the girl, who told them that Kennedy had been caring for her at her Coon Rapids home and that last November, she was crying because she didn’t have the money to buy a gift for a friend of hers.
Kennedy allegedly offered her money to pose nude for photographs, the complaint states. He then took pictures of the girl while she was naked in her bedroom and told her to pose in a “sexy” manner, telling her she was pretty.
About a week later, Kennedy paid the girl $100 in $5 bills while he was at one of her basketball games so it wouldn’t look suspicious, according to the complaint.
Back in May, Kennedy and the girl allegedly went to the Goodwill in Coon Rapids, where he asked her if she wanted to earn more money for nude pictures. She agreed, and Kennedy gave her a camera to take to a changing room. The girl took several partially nude pictures before giving the camera back to Kennedy, according to the complaint. She told police he never paid her the money for the pictures.
The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Kennedy’s home and found the camera, several thumb drives and a computer that all contained nude images of the girl.
Kennedy later admitted to authorities that he paid the girl $100 to take nude pictures and that he took video recordings of the girl while she was in her underwear. He told authorities he knew she had attempted suicide around the time he asked her for pictures, that he didn’t pay her for the pictures at the Goodwill and that he took pictures of her when she didn’t know about it, according to the complaint.
Authorities discovered he had more than 3,000 images of child pornography and about 250 videos with child pornography. If convicted on all charges, Kennedy faces more than 100 years in prison.
