Federal Prison Employee Charged in Rochester Underage Sex Sting Case

Rochester, Minnesota (KROC-AM News)- Criminal charges have been filed against an employee of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Rochester underage sex sting.

Rochester Police Department Communications Coordinator Amanda Grayson said officers conducted the proactive operation that led to the arrest for 11 weeks. Police arrested the suspect on Friday, November 1.

In the criminal complaint filed in Olmsted District Court on Wednesday, the corrections officer was identified as follows: Joseph Peter Solak, 48 years old.

Solak allegedly posted a message on Aug. 14 to a social media account run by an undercover police officer in Rochester.

Charges: Federal Correctional Institution Employee Sent Explicit Images of Undercover Rochester Police Officer Posing as a Teenage Girl and Having Sexual Conversations

The complaint stated that the Rochester man sent the first message saying “boys need to mature” after the fake account posted a photo of a young girl with a caption about boys.

The undercover officer sent Solak a text saying they were about to turn 14, and Solak allegedly responded with a shush emoji, the complaint alleges. The conversations then became sexual, and Solak, who also said he was a youth sports coach, sent sexually explicit photos of himself to the private account, according to the court document.

Investigators traced the account to a residence in Rochester and searched the home. The resident, whose physical description matched the non-explicit photos sent in the chat, refused to text the teenage girl, the complaint states.

Investigators later determined that Solak used the person’s phone to send messages to the private account, according to the charges. Police later executed a search warrant at Solak’s home on November 1 and seized a smartphone.

In his statement to investigators, Solak admitted to sending messages to the private account and said he would engage in sexual conversations with other girls after learning they were between the ages of 10 and 16.

The complaint also states that she posted photos of other men on different social media accounts and said they would remain anonymous.

Lefty is accused soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct through electronic communication, engaging in electronic communication with a child regarding or describing sexual conduct with a child, inviting a child to engage in sexual conduct, and persistently stalking a child through false impersonation.

Statement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons KROC-AM News Solak says she works as a Human Resources Specialist at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester. The statement said he was placed on administrative leave and the federal agency was cooperating with local law enforcement.

Solak will appear in court for the first time in the case next month.

Story has been updated to include a statement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons

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