A St. Paul man was sentenced this week to 20 years in federal prison for recording sexually explicit videos of a girl and threatening to tell her family and friends about their “online relationship” if she stopped communicating with him, according to court documents.

Chedor TV pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Paul to production of child pornography on Jan. 11, 2024. (Courtesy of the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office)

Chedor TV, 40, was indicted in U.S. District Court of Minnesota last year with one count each of cyberstalking a minor and transfer of obscene material to a minor. He pleaded guilty in January to a third charge — production of child pornography — and admitted to cyberstalking the victim, who he knew was between 10 and 14 years old.

TV was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud, who said TV’s conduct toward the girl is “appalling” and “reflects depravity,” according to a statement from the U.S Attorney’s Office. The sentence includes 10 years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

“TV’s predation continues to impact the minor victim, shattering her sense of security and leaving her to endure a lifetime of trauma, fear and mistrust,” federal prosecutors wrote in a May court document.

TV had stable employment throughout his life, including working for the Hmong TV Network and in local journalism before he became a cook, according to prosecutors.

According to the plea agreement, from July 2019 through February 2023, TV created multiple online personas on apps such as Discord and Snapchat in order to cyberstalk the girl. He used aliases such as “Chang Shin” and “Hailey Ly” to pose as minors and communicate with the girl. He eventually sent her sexually explicit pictures and messages.

While the girl was unaware that TV was cyberstalking her using the online aliases, he also secretly recorded her showering at his home and recorded a sexually explicit video while she slept. The plea agreement does not detail the relationship between TV and the victim or explain why she was in his home.

Using the persona “Chang,” TV tried to get the girl to send him sexually explicit videos and images, but she refused. When she tried to stop contact with “Chang,” TV threatened to publish the videos and images that he created. He said he’d tell her parents, family and friends about sexual messages and pictures they had exchanged.

After TV was charged, law enforcement found additional child pornography images and videos on his electronic devices, according to prosecutors. Further, the FBI found evidence that TV had assumed other aliases on social media to message and video chat with other minors to produce and solicit child pornography. TV was found to be in possession of approximately 219 images and 97 videos depicting child pornography of male and female minor victims, prosecutors say.

State court records show TV has no prior criminal convictions beyond a misdemeanor citation in 2021 for driving without insurance.

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