Grand Forks man shared child porn, brought kids from Twin Cities with intent to sexually abuse them, court documents allege

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A Grand Forks man is facing federal charges after investigators say they found thousands of child porn files in his possession, and accuse the man of sharing those files with others, as well as taking two children from Minneapolis to Grand Forks with the intent of sexually abusing them.

34-year-old Nicholas Morgan-Derosier is charged with possession of child porn, receiving and distributing child porn, transporting minors with intent for those children to engage in sexual activity and traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity.

Federal court documents say the investigation into Morgan-Derosier began in December 2019, when his landscaping business came under fire by several upset customers who accused Morgan-Derosier of fraud. The Grand Forks District Court issued an order prohibiting Morgan-Derosier from doing business in the State of North Dakota, however documents say he continued under a different name. In September 2020, Grand Forks Police Officers executed a search warrant on Morgan-Derosier’s home and business related to his alleged refusal to comply with a court order. Documents state detectives confiscated several cellphones, computers, hard drives and thumb drives from Morgan-Derosier’s home.

Court records show Morgan-Derosier pleaded guilty in August 2021 to issuing a check without an account and disobedience of a judicial order. The other charges in the case were dismissed and Morgan-Derosier was ordered to serve 10 days in jail.

Investigators state they found more than 6,500 images, files and videos of suspected child porn on Morgan-Derosier’s devices when they executed the search warrant. Documents say detectives also found nude images of two children Morgan-Derosier knew in his Grand Forks bathroom and a pool locker room in the Minneapolis area.

Court documents say Morgan-Derosier took the two children from the Twin Cities area to his Grand Forks home for four days without their mother’s permission in March 2020. One child was 6-year-old at the time, the other was 9, documents say.

When forensically interviewed, neither of the boys disclosed sexual abuse to investigators. However, when asked about Morgan-Derosier, documents say one of the boys pulled his stocking cap over his head and sobbed.

Several messages found on Morgan-Derosier showed him telling others that he ‘loved young boys and family fun,’ and talked about some of the sexual acts he did with the two boys he knew.

If convicted for receiving and the distribution of child pornography, Morgan-Derosier could face at least 20 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment. A mugshot has not yet been provided to Valley News Live as of this publication.