A 61-year-old man from Denmark faces from 15 to 30 years in federal prison for his guilty plea to child porn and extortion charges involving online encounters with an 11-year-old St Joseph girl. Kai Lundstroem Pedersen pleaded guilty before a judge in Kansas City.

Pedersen admitted taking part in sexually explicit online chats with the girl from his home in Denmark. He recorded and saved the digital video, and later threatened to post the video online if the girl didn’t agree to continue the online chat sessions.

A second girl from Missouri was also contacted in this manner.

Pedersen eventually distributed the video to other people, including friends and family of the victim. The girl’s mother contacted police after receiving Facebook messages that contained nude pictures of the girl.

He was arrested when he traveled from Denmark to the United States last year. On Aug. 13, 2010, the victim’s mother contacted law enforcement authorities. The mother told an officer that she learned of the contact with Pedersen after receiving Facebook messages that contained nude images of her daughter. The officer, posing as the minor victim, communicated online with Pedersen and learned that he was leaving on vacation Aug. 20. When Pedersen logged into his Facebook account on Aug. 25, investigators were able to trace his IP address.

Under the terms of the binding plea agreement, the government and Pedersen jointly recommend to the court a sentence of at least 15 years and up to a sentence of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.