TEXARKANA, Texas - An Indiana man is facing charges of coercion and enticement of a minor and production of child pornography in a Texarkana federal court.
Russell James Ott, 34, is currently being held in the Allen County jail in Fort Wayne, Indiana, according to jail records. An indictment charging him in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas was unsealed earlier this week.
According to federal court records in the Northern District of Indiana, Ott was arrested Tuesday in Indiana. A docket entry states that he was unable to make an initial court appearance set Wednesday before a federal magistrate in Indiana because he had been taken to a hospital for a medical issue.
Ott was in court Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Collins in Indiana. The docket entry notes that Ott intends to hire a lawyer to defend him against the charges in the charging district in Texas.
The Indiana judge appointed a lawyer to represent Ott during proceedings in that state. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Indiana asked the court to detain Ott while his case is pending. Collins set Ott for a detention hearing in Indiana on June 22.
If Ott is detained it is likely he will be transported to a jail in the Eastern District of Texas.
Count one of Ott's indictment accuses him of coercion and enticement of a minor female on Aug. 1, 2020, and Sept. 22, 2020. Ott allegedly used internet, social media and messaging applications to coerce the child into sexual conduct. That offense is punishable by 10 years to life in federal prison.
Count two accuses Ott of production of child pornography on Aug. 24, 2020, at 12:57 a.m. Ott allegedly enticed a minor to produce a "visual depiction of such conduct and transmitting a live visual depiction of such conduct."
Count two is punishable by 15 to 30 years in federal prison. Both offenses also include the possibility of a $250,000 fine and other fees in the event of convictions.
Ott's case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III.