a former detroit area doctor plead guilty Federal child pornography charges after FBI investigation allegedly uncovered disturbing online messages and discussions child sexual abuseaccording to prosecutors.
Lincoln Erickson, 32, pleaded guilty this week to receiving child pornography. Erickson was arrested on Dec. 10, 2025, after investigators linked him to what prosecutors said was a broader child exploitation network, authorities said.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District michiganErickson has been detained since his arrest.
Local outlet ClickOnDetroit reported, citing court documents, that investigators allegedly discovered Telegram messages in which Erickson wrote: “I love being a pedophile.”
Another alleged message quoted by the report said: “Bro I love other pedophiles. So hot.”
FBI probe traces back to Ohio case
Authorities said the investigation expanded after the March 2025 arrest of Ohio resident Brett Tooman.
Tuman allegedly traveled to Toledo believing he would sexually abuse children arranged by parents online, according to reports. Investigators later said he had actually been communicating with an undercover FBI agent posing as a parent.
Investigators uncovered additional messages involving multiple suspects, including Jeremy Brian Tacon and Joshua Ronnebaum, eventually leading them to Erickson through Telegram chats, court documents say.
According to the complaint details, Erickson allegedly discussed abusive sexual fantasies involving children and admitted in the messages to sexually abusing a friend’s three-year-old child.
One purported message quoted in the report read: “‘Start when you’re young.'”
Exploitation and sentencing details
The federal investigation further revealed the disturbing extent of the illegal material. Federal agents found videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, as well as AI-generated porn depicting naked children touching adult men, the New York Post reported.
Also read: ‘My world changed in a matter of hours’: Indian man wrongly identified as pedophile by YouTuber
Erickson, a former resident at the Rehabilitation Institute at Detroit Medical Center in Michigan, was reprimanded by law enforcement. U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said Erickson “lurked among our trusted medical professionals” while satisfying his illicit desires.
Erickson pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to five to 20 years in prison and fined up to $250,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 15, 2026, and will be required to register as a sex offender.
