A man who posed as a college soccer recruiter has pleaded guilty to a charge of receiving child pornography, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
Michael Ansley Twing, 43, entered his guilty plea Wednesday before Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cureton. He faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison, officials said.
In a criminal complaint filed May 18, authorities said police in Fort Worth and Grand Prairie found evidence that Twing downloaded pornography featuring children who appeared to be as young as 5 years old at least six times between June 2021 and April 2022. Several other agencies were also investigating activity from Twing’s IP address from November 2021 to April 2022, according to court records.
Officials determined that Twing “had engaged in a pattern of downloading child pornography using file-sharing software,” authorities said in the criminal complaint. Authorities noted that he deleted the files after viewing them, though traces of the files were still found on a laptop seized from Twing’s home.
At a detention hearing, prosecutors presented evidence showing that Twing posed as a recruiter for an unidentified local university using the name “Michael Krogen.” Agents found a note written on university letterhead in Twing’s bedroom, in which authorities said he claimed to be a recruiter. They also found a roster of high school soccer players and a text message in which Twing asked a coach for a student’s contact information.
Authorities said Friday in a news release that officials with the university are cooperating with investigators and that no evidence has been found to suggest wrongdoing on the school’s part.
Officials asked that anyone with knowledge of inappropriate contact between Twing, who also went by the name “Christopher Michael Crogen,” and a minor “at a soccer tournament or elsewhere” contact CrimeStoppers online or by phone, at 817-469-TIPS.
He is expected to appear in court Oct. 21 for a sentencing hearing.
Authorities noted in court records that Twing has faced similar charges before. In 2011, Twing was convicted of possession and receipt of child pornography.