Ex-volleyball coach pleads guilty to federal child porn charge
The former director of a Carol Stream-based volleyball academy had multiple state child pornography charges dropped today after agreeing to plead guilty to a similar federal charge.
Michael Liedtke, 34, of Streamwood, admitted enticing a 16-year-old boy to produce "sexually explicit videos of himself," according to federal court records.
In exchange for Liedtke's guilty plea, the state charges of possessing child pornography and unauthorized video taping were dismissed in DuPage County, but not without first admitting guilt to those charges.
Liedtke was arrested this year when a video camera was discovered inside a ceiling tile at a volleyball training center Liedtke ran.
The camera captured roughly 400 people in various stages of undress, including some 300 minors, prosecutors said.
As part of his plea deal, Liedtke admitted he installed the camera.
"Mr. Liedtke violated the trust placed in him by the parents of the athletes he trained," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said. "I would like to thank the U.S. attorney's office for their work in holding Mr. Liedtke responsible for his vulgar behavior."
As part of that initial investigation, authorities were led to the videos Liedtke coerced the boy to make in 2016.
It was one of six videos and 29 photographs of children engaged in "sexually explicit conduct" found on an external computer drive during a court-authorized search of Liedtke's house this year, federal officials said.
Liedtke's sentencing is slated for Oct. 28. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.