Wahpeton man pleads not guilty to child porn charges

FARGO - Benjamin Hager, of Wahpeton, N.D., pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two child pornography charges in Fargo’s U.S. District Court.

Hager, 37, is accused of possessing and receiving hundreds of sexually explicit images of underage girls.

At least some of the images were allegedly produced by a Detroit-area man who used his four daughters to create the materials.

Court documents also indicate Hager had an increasing sexual appetite for children, culminating in his February arrest on the federal charges.

If convicted, Hager faces decades in federal prison.

The maximum penalty on the possession charge is 10 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

For the charge of receiving child porn, there is a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years. The maximum penalty is 20 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Hager is being held until his trial, which is scheduled for April 19.

The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and the Herald are both Forum Communications Co. newspapers.

Tags: child pornography, wahpeton nd, updates, crime