FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A Barnes County man who pleaded guilty to state charges now faces federal prosecution for child sex abuse material offenses.

A federal grand jury indicted Mitchell Joseph Kohler on six counts, including receipt of child sex abuse material (CSAM), transportation of CSAM, and four counts of possession of CSAM. The indictment was filed on December 11 and unsealed on December 16.

The charges allege Kohler knowingly received and transported visual depictions using the internet from an unknown time until April 2025.

Kohler pleaded guilty to five state charges of possession of certain materials prohibited in October. He is scheduled to be sentenced on those charges on January 26.

Kohler was arrested after Apple Inc. discovered suspected child sex abuse material on his account in March 2024 and reported it to authorities.

Following a search warrant executed in April 2025, investigators found hundreds of child sex abuse files on Kohler’s devices, including images and videos of girls ages 8-14, according to court documents.

Kohler admitted to investigators that he used artificial intelligence to create nude photos and videos of teenage girls from his community whose images he found on Instagram.

Federal penalties for receipt of child pornography carry 5-20 years imprisonment. The federal indictment also includes a forfeiture notice seeking two iPhones, a hard drive, and a MacBook.