New Jersey Investigation Leads to Rochester Man’s Guilty Plea

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man today entered a guilty plea to a felony charge stemming from an online "sting" investigation conducted by a law enforcement agency in New Jersey.

32-year-old Peter Workman admitted to a charge of engaging in electronic communication relieving or describing sexual conduct with a child. In exchange, a charge of distribution of material that relates to and/or describes sexual conduct with a child was dismissed.

Workman was charged back in December after investigators in New Jersey traced his IP address to Minnesota and the case was assigned to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and eventually the Rochester Police Department. The criminal complaint alleged that Workman initiated an online conversation with an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl on a social media platform.

The charges alleged the initial contact occurred on September 8 and continued for 11 days, during which Workman was accused of sending the undercover officer numerous photos of his genitals and videos of him performing lewd acts. The court document states that the undercover officer indicated to Workman multiple times that he was communicating with a person just 13 years old.

A search warrant executed as part of the investigation resulted in the seizure of a cell phone that matched the phone scene in the photos and videos sent to the undercover officer in New Jersey. Along with the illicit sexual materials, the criminal complaint also indicates that Workman sent a "selfie" photo of his face.

Workman is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2. The plea agreement calls for a sentence to probation, a stayed prison term, and no additional time in jail.