Duluth climbing instructor pleads guilty to child pornography charge – Duluth News Tribune

DULUTH — A former youth climbing instructor has pleaded guilty to a federal child pornography charge.

Lucas Matthew Kramer, 45, of Duluth, entered the plea Friday during a hearing in U.S. District Court in St. Paul. He is expected to face a guideline sentence of approximately eight to 10 years in prison, according to a plea agreement.

Kramer previously served as the climbing coordinator for the outdoor recreational sports program at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is also a past president of the Duluth Climbers Coalition, a non-profit organization that encourages and organizes various ice, rock and indoor climbing opportunities for all ages.

Court documents say two tips were submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children through Kik, an instant messaging app. The first was received in 2022 under the username “northboy35” and the second arrived last year, using his UMD email address.

The Duluth Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit executed a search warrant at his Lakeside neighborhood home in December, seizing several electronic devices.

The plea agreement states that approximately 85 files containing child pornography identified by NCMEC were ultimately found on four phones. Videos dating from May 2022 to December 2023 allegedly showed explicit sexual acts between adults and children, as young as toddlers.

Kramer was also found to have used the messaging app Telegram to request nude photos from users who identified themselves as as young as 10 years old, according to the agreement.

Authorities had expressed concern that Kramer’s role as a climbing instructor gave him “access to minors of all ages,” although court filings contain no allegations of misconduct toward children. young people he trained.

He was first charged in state district court in May, but that case was dropped in favor of a federal indictment in July.

Kramer’s plea was to a single count of possession of child pornography, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Judge Eric Tostrud will examine the indicative calculations submitted by the parties but is not linked to any particular sentence.

The judge ordered a background investigation and allowed Kramer to remain free subject to previously issued conditions of supervised release. Sentencing was not immediately set.

Tom Olsen has covered crime, courts and the 8th Congressional District for the Duluth News Tribune since 2013. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth and is a lifelong resident of the city. Readers can contact Olsen at 218-723-5333 or [email protected].