Austin couple accused of child pornography face federal charges

Published 2:53 pm Friday, June 6, 2014

Anthony Edge also charged with coercing a minor to engage in sexual conduct

An Austin couple accused of producing child pornography now faces federal charges.

Anthony and Deborah Edge were charged last week in U.S. District Court with possessing, producing and transporting child pornography over state lines. Anthony also faces federal charges for allegedly coercing a minor to engage in sexual conduct.

Anthony Edge

Anthony Edge

Charges against the Edges were unsealed Friday, but complaint details and testimony remain under seal to protect the alleged victims.

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Deborah was released on bond, but Anthony remains in federal custody.

Anthony pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of using minors in a sexual performance/pornographic work on April 10 in Mower County District Court. Deborah pleaded not guilty to four counts of using minors in a sexual performance/pornographic work in Mower County District Court on April 17.

Deborah Edge

Deborah Edge

Authorities raided the Edge home in late March after they were tipped off by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child pornography on the chat website Omegle.

Omegle tracked a Feb. 22 video chat and captured 26 images of an elementary age girl performing sexual acts with an adult male, according to a court complaint.

Police found two computers at the Edge house and a web camera authorities believe was used to produce the video. Officers also found metal blinds in Anthony’s room, similar to those shown in the video.

According to the complaint, police also found recordings of a teenage girl showering. Officers found pinhole cameras inside the house and interviewed a victim, who was unaware she had been recorded.

Later, state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents found a different video of Deborah talking with a naked elementary-aged child in a bathroom, according to court documents.

Authorities found another image of Deborah naked from the waist down and holding a pornographic image of an infant.

Deborah admitted to being in both the video and the photo, according to the complaint. She also told police she knew Anthony was sending the video to someone else, but denied knowing she held a pornographic image of an infant in the photo. She said Anthony had her put on a blindfold when he took the photo.

Anthony previously registered as a sex offender after he was convicted in 2006 of possessing nude pictures of minors. He was charged in 2004 in Olmsted County after police found about 2,300 images of child pornography on a computer he left behind at a former residence.

A June 4 parental rights termination hearing over the Edge children was postponed. Another hearing has been scheduled for June 16.