A former Minnesota State Trooper and National Guard member has been sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for producing and distributing videos of himself sexually abusing a child — including recordings in which he wore his State Patrol uniform — after an unrelated FBI investigation in Houston traced disturbing video files back to him.
How investigators found him
According to court documents cited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI agents working a case in Houston identified Jeremy Francis Plonski as someone who had shared video files depicting the abuse of an infant through the messaging app Kik. That lead connected back to Plonski’s own conduct: prosecutors say he produced 23 videos of himself abusing a minor between approximately April and October 2023, in some cases while dressed in his State Patrol uniform, and later distributed footage of the abuse through a social media app.
Sentencing
U.S. District Judge Kate M. Menendez sentenced Plonski, who had pleaded guilty Oct. 8, 2025, to production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, to 324 months in prison on Sept. 8, to be followed by 180 months of supervised release. The child depicted in the videos is not identified here. The guilty plea and sentence establish Plonski’s criminal responsibility for those charges; the Justice Department’s announcement did not identify a pending appeal.
A possible second person involved
Court documents cited in news reporting on the case describe Plonski as occupying the submissive role in what investigators characterized as a submissive/dominant relationship, and allege that the person in the dominant role directed him to carry out some of the abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s announcement of the sentence does not identify that second person, say whether they have been charged, or explain the nature of the relationship beyond that description — leaving open whether another person bears responsibility in the case.
A second, separate case
Plonski also faces a separate pending state case in Scott County, Minnesota, on a charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct — a case distinct from the federal charges that produced this sentence, and one that remains unresolved.
Institutional fallout
Plonski was arrested at his home in Shakopee in April 2025. The Minnesota State Patrol terminated him following his arrest. Patrol chief Colonel Christina Bogojevic said the conduct violated the duties associated with the badge and thanked investigators for securing accountability; federal and state law enforcement leaders separately described the case as both child exploitation and a betrayal of the public’s trust in an officer sworn to protect it. The FBI and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigated, with assistance from the State Patrol and other agencies; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota prosecuted.
The public sentencing announcement does not say when the State Patrol first learned of the allegations, whether earlier warning signs existed, or whether an internal review identified any policy failures — questions that remain open for future accountability reporting.
Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, MPR News, Fox 9, Valley News Live.
