Eagan Man Pleads Guilty To Tricking Teens Into Sending Him Nude Pics

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – An Eagan man has pleaded guilty to several child pornography charges for using social media to gather nude photos of teenage boys.

Anton Martynenko, 32, was charged with production, receipt, advertisement and possession of child pornography.

According to the Minneapolis Police Department, from 2011 through 2015 Martynenko posed as a woman and would contact teenage boys to elicit nude photos from them.

At least three victims reported Martynenko contacted them on social media using a decoy photograph and fake name, often Marie Anna. The victims stated the conversation would start off friendly but quickly escalate to sexual. Acting as a woman, Martynenko would express interest in the boy and ask them to send nude photographs of themselves.

Police said the victims were directed how to stand and look in each of the photos. Sometimes they were also asked to send videos.

Martynenko would encourage the boys to continue to send nude photos by sending decoy photos of a naked woman and claiming he wanted to meet them.

According to the police, when the boys became suspicious, "Marie Anna" would threaten to release the photos to their friends.

In each case, roughly a year after losing contact with the boy Martynenko would send messages to the boy's friends of the nude photos.

All three victims were under the age of 18 at the time Martynenko contacted them.

Minneapolis police officers began watching Martynenko in October 2015.

Upon receiving a search warrant, they found flash drives, tablets, laptops and a number of folders full of images of nude teenage boys above ceiling tiles in Martynenko's house.

Officers said the folders found were labeled "commercial pornography." Files found on flash drives were labeled with each boy's name, age and high school.

In a partial forensic review, police believe there are over 300 victims.

Martynenko pleaded guilty to producing, receiving and advertising child pornography.