Owatonna sex offender pleads guilty to threatening to kill minor victim's family
MINNEAPOLIS — A southern Minnesota sex offender pleaded guilty Monday to sending graphic threats describing what he planned to do to the family of one of his underage victims.
U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced that 28-year-old Michael Kurkowski, of Owatonna, pleaded guilty to one count each of threatening interstate communication and production of child pornography.
In March 2021, Kurkowski was convicted of sexually exploiting a minor in southern Pennsylvania. He was sentenced to 142 days in prison and probation.
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Court documents say that in November 2021, Kurkowski had been communicating online with another minor in Illinois about his plans to travel to Pennsylvania, where the other victim lived, to torture and murder their family.
A few months later, law enforcement learned that Kurkowski had purchased a bus ticket and was traveling to the general location of his former victim and family. Authorities stopped him in Ohio with bag containing handcuffs, facemasks and weapons.
Kurkowski's sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.