Man who used Facebook to lure girls got double the maximum sentence

Officials with the U.S. Attorney's office say a Minnesota man recently sentenced in a child pornography case got an enhanced sentence because he admitted to a pattern of predatory behavior.

Shane Werlein, 41, of Stillwater, pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography -- a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years.

Jeanne Cooney from the U.S. Attorney's office said the sentence was doubled to 30 years because Werlein admitted to stalking and having sex with underage girls in the past. Cooney said Werlein created phony Facebook personas in order to lure the girls.

"And then he also admitted to having sexual contact with the girls and used his own cell phone to take pictures of those acts and all of that is considered production of child pornography," Cooney said.

Cooney said U.S. Attorneys across the nation are seeing an increase in similar crimes over the last five years. She said about two dozen child pornography cases were charged in the state last year.