Donald Thomas Perrin, Child Pornography Production, MN 2023

Donald Thomas Perrin, 58, a registered sex offender, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for producing child pornography—a crime rooted in manipulation, digital predation, and repeated violations of the law. The sentence, handed down yesterday by U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in St. Paul, Minnesota, marks the end of a years-long investigation into Perrin’s exploitation of a 15-year-old minor through sexually explicit online chats and video sessions.

Perrin pleaded guilty on October 10, 2017, moments before his jury trial was set to begin. According to court documents, his predatory behavior began in the summer of 2014 when he initiated sexually explicit online conversations with the underage victim. Despite being arrested and jailed at Carver County Jail later that year for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements, Perrin resumed contact with the minor upon release—proving his disregard for both the law and the child’s well-being.

During the illicit digital exchanges, Perrin captured screen recordings of sexually explicit video chats, creating new child pornography in violation of federal law. On February 12, 2016, he was arrested again—this time, law enforcement executed search warrants at his home and seized multiple digital devices containing thousands of child pornographic files. The evidence painted a damning picture of a man who weaponized technology to exploit a vulnerable youth.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Buzicky, who prosecuted the case alongside Angela Munoz-Kaphing, did not mince words: “Donald Perrin manipulated, exploited and humiliated a vulnerable young victim, and never once showed any remorse for his predatory actions,” she said. “Unfortunately for the victims the damage can never be undone, but with today’s forty-year sentence this predator will no longer be able to harm vulnerable children.”

The case was pursued under Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative launched in 2006 to combat the rising tide of online child sexual exploitation. Led by U.S. Attorneys and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the program unites federal, state, and local agencies to identify, apprehend, and prosecute offenders—while working to rescue victims. Anyone with information about child exploitation is urged to contact the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit www.missingkids.com.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the FBI and the Carver County Sheriff’s Office. Perrin, now held at Sherburne County Jail, was convicted on two counts: production of child pornography and commission of a felony while required to register as a sex offender. In addition to 480 months in prison, he will face 20 years of supervised release upon any future freedom. The sentence sends a hard message: predators who exploit children online will face relentless pursuit and severe punishment.