Man Facing Federal Child Pornography Charges After Maintaining Exploitive Relationship Throughout Stearns County Conviction

(KNSI) – A man already convicted of creating child pornography in Stearns County is now facing federal charges as officials allege past legal problems didn’t deter him from continuing the abuse.

Robert James Levi is accused of posing as a 16-year-old boy online and developing a relationship with a 12-year-old girl, chatting over the course of 10,000-plus messages between 2022 and 2025. Levi is actually 22 years old and convinced the girl to send him sexually explicit content.

Levi was found guilty in Stearns County in February 2024 and is a registered sex offender. His legal problems did not stop him from maintaining the exploitation via catfishing. The relationship existed through the initial court case and even after he was put on probation.

Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick stresses, “The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office is full of federal prosecutors who have zero tolerance for Levi and other repeat sexual offenders who will only stop when they are stopped. Levi faces decades in federal prison. We will prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.”

If convicted, Levi would be sentenced to between 25 years in prison and life.

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