St. Paul Man Indicted on 14 Counts of Producing Child Pornography

A 42-year-old St. Paul man was indicted earlier today in federal court in St. Paul for allegedly photographing and filming pornographic images of three girls and one boy who were under the age of 10 at the time. Mark Allen Busse was specifically charged with 14 counts of production of child pornography.

The indictment alleges that on 14 occasions between July 24, 2006, and April 20, 2008, Busse coerced three girls and one boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. Busse allegedly used a Sony video camera and a Canon PowerShot camera. The first victim was filmed twice on July 24, 2006. The second victim was photographed on February 9, April 5, and March 7, 2008. The third victim was photographed twice on March 2 and once on March 7 and March 8, 2008. The fourth victim was photographed five times on April 20, 2008.

If convicted, Busse faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years in federal prison on each count. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge.

This case is the result of an investigation by the St. Paul Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, both of which are affiliates of the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly M. Hare.

The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to combating the sexual exploitation of children. For more information about these efforts, visit the Department’s Project Safe Childhood website, at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.