Bemidji man charged with possession of child pornography

BEMIDJI -- A Bemidji man is facing a felony possession of pornography charge after images of children engaged in sexual acts were traced to his computer IP address.

Max Arnett Lussier, 55, was arrested Friday after a search warrant executed at Lussier's apartment in Bemidji revealed computers believed to have been used to download child pornography.

The Bemidji Police Department and North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation traced a peer-to-peer download of child pornography to Lussier's IP address. Images included video clips of adult males engaging in sexual acts with prepubescent females, according to court documents. Bemidji police reported the videos to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which reported the files showed images of identified children, court documents said. Lussier told law enforcement the information they were looking for would be found on his main computer. Three computers were found during the search.

According to a statement of probable cause, Lussier said he downloaded six or seven files of child pornography and he had been on the computer actively looking for such images.

Lussier is charged with one count of possession of pornographic work involving minors which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Lussier is scheduled to appear in Beltrami County District Court on Monday.

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