Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A guilty plea has been entered by a Rochester man who was an employee of the Federal Bureau of Prisons when he was arrested last fall as a result of a Rochester Police underage sex sting investigation.

The criminal complaint charged 48-year-old Joseph Peter Solak with soliciting a child through electronic communication to engage in sexual conduct, engaging in electronic communication relating to or describing sexual conduct with a child, soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct, and stalking by false impersonation. When the charges were filed last November, Solak’s social media page stated that he worked as a Human Resources Specialist for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The Charges Stated That He Also Admitted Engaging in Sexual Conversations With Other Young Girls

According to the charges, Solak was accused of messaging a social media account operated by a Rochester police officer in mid-August of last year. It was alleged that the undercover officer told Solak they were not quite 14 years old, and that the online conversations then became sexual in nature. Solak was also accused of sending the undercover officer’s account sexually explicit photos of himself.

The court document indicates Rochester police investigators were able to trace the messages to a residence in Rochester and executed a search warrant at the home. After speaking with the resident, who denied messaging the undercover officer, investigators determined that Solak had been using that person’s phone to send the messages.

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In a statement to investigators, Solak admitted messaging the undercover officer’s account and stated that he had sexual conversations with other girls after learning they were between the ages of 10 and 16. He also indicated that he would use photos of other men from different social media accounts to remain anonymous.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, Solak today admitted to the charge of stalking by false impersonation in exchange for the dismissal of the other charges. The plea agreement indicates that he is expected to be sentenced to probation.

Solak’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for September.

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