Citizen Sting Leads to Charges for Rochester Predatory Offender

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A registered predatory offender living in Rochester is facing new charges stemming from an online investigation conducted by a private citizen.

A criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County Court on Friday says Rochester police were contacted by an individual who reported that he had been conducting an online investigation on various chat applications. The witness told investigators that he was contacted on November 4 by a man who began messaging him on Discord.

Police Say Citizen Posed as Teen in Online Chat

The court document says the witness identified himself online as a 13-year-old girl. He told police that the other man sent him two sexually explicit photos of himself and propositioned him for sex, allegedly believing he was communicating with a juvenile girl.

According to the charges, the citizen investigator was able to identify the person messaging him on Discord through Facebook by matching a distinct tattoo visible in some of the photos sent to him through the Discord app. The criminal complaint says the Facebook account was linked to 37-year-old Corey Don Biggerstaff.

Suspect Identified Through Facebook Tattoo Match

The court document says Rochester police located Biggerstaff on Thursday and took him into custody. It says he initially denied using Discord and denied any communications with a 13-year-old girl, but later admitted to having a Discord account. The criminal complaint says the exchange of messages with the witness was verified by law enforcement.

Biggerstaff is charged with felony counts of distributing via electronic communication material that relates/describes sexual conduct to a child, solicitation of a child or a person believed to be a child through electronic communication to engage in sexual conduct, and engaging in electronic communication relating or describing sexual conduct with a child. His conditional bail has been set at $10,000.

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Biggerstaff Has Prior Convictions for Failing to Register

Biggerstaff, who had been registered with law enforcement as homeless in Rochester, has a criminal history with multiple felony convictions, including two for failing to register as a predatory offender.