A former Homeland Security Investigations special agent from Eagan was sentenced Friday to seven years in federal prison after admitting he recorded sex acts with a 17-year-old and sent the videos back to her. The judge also ordered 10 years of supervised release to follow the prison term. Timothy Ryan Gregg, who had served on an FBI task force, pleaded guilty last year to one count of transporting visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexual conduct.
Judge Calls Gregg's Crime A "Violation Of Trust"
At a hearing in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen described Gregg's conduct as a serious "violation of trust" and handed down a sentence below the advisory guideline range. Prosecutors had pushed for a longer term, while the defense urged the court to stick with the five-year mandatory minimum, according to court reporting. The sentence includes a decade of supervised release after Gregg completes his prison time, as reported by the Pioneer Press.
How Investigators Say The Case Unfolded
Prosecutors say the case began when the girl's father discovered sexually explicit images and videos on her cellphone and notified authorities, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Court documents and a factual statement summarized by the Justice Department OIG say Gregg met the girl through a dating app, later ran her name through a law-enforcement database that showed she was under 18, and admitted recording and sending explicit photos and videos. He was arrested in June 2025 and remained in federal custody ahead of his October 2025 guilty plea and sentencing.
Investigators Point To Work-Related Bookings
Investigative reporting tied hotel records to the case, showing Gregg rented rooms multiple times on Sundays in March, April and May 2025 and, according to court documents cited in that coverage, used his official ICE/Homeland Security email address for some reservations. Prosecutors say those hotel records helped place Gregg at the locations where some of the recordings were made. Local coverage of the sentencing details those bookings and the court's account of Gregg's admissions, with the Pioneer Press reporting the hotel reservation trail.
Part Of A String Of Recent Prosecutions
Gregg's case lands amid a run of federal prosecutions involving former law enforcement officers. A former Minnesota state trooper pleaded guilty last fall to producing child sexual-abuse material, according to the Star Tribune, and a former Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced in January to 71 months in prison for distributing child pornography, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Prosecutors say the cluster of cases has heightened scrutiny of misconduct by people in positions of public trust.
Legal Note
Gregg pleaded guilty to one federal count of transporting visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, a charge outlined in court filings and summarized by the Justice Department OIG. The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. With sentencing complete in federal court, the criminal case is closed, although related administrative and oversight reviews by federal agencies may continue separately.
