Kulzer Gets 19+ Years for Exploiting Kids Online

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Shawn Norbert Kulzer, 32, of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, will spend the next 235 months – more than 19 years – behind bars for preying on children online. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel, follows Kulzer’s guilty plea to one count of production and attempted production of child pornography. This isn’t just a crime; it’s a calculated violation of innocence, and the justice system finally delivered a harsh reckoning.

The investigation, spearheaded by the FBI, Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, and Sauk Centre Police Department, revealed a disturbing pattern of behavior. Court documents show Kulzer initiated contact with a minor victim on Snapchat on or about January 2, 2023. Despite quickly learning the victim was underage, Kulzer relentlessly pressured them to send nude photographs. The depravity didn’t stop there. Kulzer admitted to using and enticing a second minor victim to create and distribute explicit images via the same platform.

What’s truly sickening? Kulzer continued his predatory behavior while on pretrial release for the initial charges. He obtained another cell phone and broadened his reach, targeting at least six additional victims. This wasn’t a momentary lapse in judgment; it was a deliberate escalation of monstrous behavior, demonstrating a complete disregard for the law and, more importantly, the well-being of vulnerable children.

At sentencing, Judge Brasel didn’t mince words, calling Kulzer’s actions “the nightmare that every parent thinks of when they think of online behavior involving their children.” The judge’s statement underscores the profound impact these crimes have on families and the urgency of protecting children in the digital age. Beyond the prison sentence, Kulzer will face 10 years of supervised release, a small measure of accountability for the lasting trauma he inflicted.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat the escalating epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the project pools resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute predators like Kulzer, and to rescue the victims caught in their web. Information on Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Polachek skillfully prosecuted the case, ensuring Kulzer faced the full weight of the law. While no sentence can fully repair the damage Kulzer caused, this conviction sends a clear message: those who exploit and abuse children will be relentlessly pursued and brought to justice. Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on efforts to combat online child exploitation.