What started as a child sex sting in Toledo has now taken down a Detroit doctor. Former medical resident Lincoln Erickson pleaded guilty yesterday to receiving child pornography after investigators traced a web of encrypted chats and explicit files straight into a Motor City hospital.
Erickson, a former Detroit medical resident, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of receipt of child pornography, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan. Prosecutors say evidence on Erickson’s phone included videos of minors and what investigators described as AI-generated child sexual images. He remains in federal custody, is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 15, and will be required to register as a sex offender.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said FBI agents arrested Erickson on Dec. 10, 2025, while he was working at a Detroit hospital, and later discovered videos of minors and AI-generated child sexual images on his phone. In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon said, “This pervert was lurking among our trusted medical professionals,” and FBI Detroit leaders said the field office would continue pursuing suspects who exploit children.
From Toledo to Detroit
The probe began after Toledo police arrested Brett Tooman on March 29, 2025, when investigators say he traveled to meet what he believed were young children. That arrest and the digital evidence recovered from Tooman’s devices led agents to two Metro Detroit men, Jeremy Brian Tacon and Joshua Ronnebaum, and then to Erickson, as reported by ClickOnDetroit.
Federal search warrants and device seizures, prosecutors say, uncovered encrypted chats and media-sharing among the men that formed the backbone of the case. Investigators describe a disturbing chain of digital breadcrumbs that crossed state lines and allegedly connected multiple suspects to illegal images and explicit conversations.
Disturbing messages and meetings
Court filings and news accounts describe graphic exchanges in which members of the group traded images and discussed in-person encounters. Coverage of the case includes messages quoted by prosecutors, including lines like “Love being a pedo” and “Start them young,” and allegations that some suspects discussed plans to travel abroad to abuse children, according to reporting by FOX 2 Detroit.
Prosecutors also told a judge that some device evidence suggested meetings and contact with victims, allegations that remain part of ongoing criminal proceedings. The full scope of any real-world abuse has not yet been resolved in court, but officials say the online conversations alone were enough to trigger an aggressive federal response.
Next steps in court
Erickson, 32, of Farmington Hills, has remained in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 15, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Zurek after an investigation by the FBI Detroit; if convicted, Erickson will be required to register as a sex offender.
Authorities urged anyone with information about suspected child exploitation to contact the FBI tipline at tips.fbi.gov or their local field office.
Hospital officials have told reporters Erickson was terminated from the joint WSU-DMC Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation program, as reported by ClickOnDetroit. Community advocates said the arrests underscore how online networks can connect offenders across state lines and highlight the need for vigilance around unexplained contact with minors.
