Former Minnesota Substitute Teacher pleads Guilty In "Sextortion"

It's stories like this that just makes a person wonder how anyone could be so deranged and downright evil. I can't imagine what the victims of this guy went through. Some were tormented for years.

Get our free mobile app

According to WCCO, on Tuesday, 25 year old Mitchell Ottinger pleaded guilty to 2 counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and also interstate communication with intent to extort.

This former substitute teacher and paraprofessional ran a "sextortion" scheme for several years. He would go online under different identities and obtain sexually explicit images of young girls. He would then threaten to release the images and videos online if the victims didn't send him more sexually explicit images and videos.

The U.S. Attorney's Office released this statement, “Over the course of several years Ottinger victimized more than 10 minors, some of whom he knew from the school district where he worked.

One can only hope that a judge throws the book at this monster. Being the father of 2 girls, I can't imagine what these girls and their families went through during this sick scheme. I realize it's not the easiest thing to do but parents should know who their kids are communicating with online. There are some really sick people out there.

Fortunately, one of the victims contacted the FBI in Minneapolis about what was happening and they began their investigation. The FBI believes that there may be other victims of Ottinger and urge anyone with more information to contact the Minneapolis Division of the FBI at 763- 569-8000.

LOOK: What are the odds that these 50 totally random events will happen to you?

Stacker took the guesswork out of 50 random events to determine just how likely they are to actually happen. They sourced their information from government statistics, scientific articles, and other primary documents. Keep reading to find out why expectant parents shouldn't count on due dates -- and why you should be more worried about dying on your birthday than living to 100 years old.

LOOK: What major laws were passed the year you were born?

Data for this list was acquired from trusted online sources and news outlets. Read on to discover what major law was passed the year you were born and learn its name, the vote count (where relevant), and its impact and significance.