An Eden Prairie man finds himself facing serious charges after law enforcement officials claim he used the internet to prey upon a minor. Michael Bruce Gillis, 35, has been charged with coercion and enticement of a minor and production of child pornography, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
The case unfolded on March 2, when Mounds View Police were alerted to a missing 15-year-old boy. The juvenile's family, in an attempt to trace his whereabouts, turned to his personal electronic devices and stumbled upon a disturbing exchange. According to documents from the US Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota, chats between the boy and a person going by “Nick Miller” quickly escalated to include sexually explicit messages and images. Despite revealing his underage status, "Nick Miller" continued to pursue the interaction, even arranging transportation for the minor via an Uber service to meet him.
Law enforcement, having conducted a welfare check at the address provided by "Nick Miller," found the young boy a short distance from the property. In a distressing revelation, the victim reported that he had been sexually assaulted by "Nick Miller," who was later discovered to be Gillis after he managed to escape once the perpetrator had fallen asleep. A background check on Gillis brought to light two more pending child exploitation cases, one in Hennepin County, Minnesota, and another in Polk County, Florida.
"Child predators are clear and present dangers to the children of Minnesota," Kirkpatrick stated, emphasizing the severity of the charges that Gillis is now set to face. "We have federal tools at our disposal—including significant mandatory minimum sentences—that appropriately take predators like this off the street for decades." Efforts to prioritize these cases intend to not only act as a deterrent but to also safeguard the community, as per her directed office strategy.
Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of the FBI Minneapolis echoed the gravity of the situation, citing the horrific nature of the allegations and the commitment of the FBI and its partners to bring such predators to justice. The FBI, along with the Eden Prairie Police Department, Mounds View Police Department, and the Bloomington Police Department, are credited for the investigation leading to Gillis' charges.
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges lauded the collaboration with federal partners to remove these offenders from the streets, reinforcing a shared objective of community safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing is on board to prosecute the case against Gillis, who remains in custody. While a complaint is an allegation and not a conviction, Gillis' final judgement will unfold in court, where he will be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
