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A Blooming Prairie man has pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting children outside the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger Friday afternoon.

According to court documents, between April 2022 and September 2022, Steven John Sokel, 61, was engaged in the production of child pornography. He was also found to be in possession of sexually explicit images and videos of minors.

Sokel pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric T. Tostrud to one count of sexual exploitation of children. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.