Fargo, North Dakota (trfnews.i234.me) — A Fargo man already registered as a sex offender was sentenced to prison for possessing child sexual abuse material, according to court records.
Sentence and Plea
Patrick Allen Rooney, 38, entered an Alford plea in Cass County District Court.
An Alford plea lets a person keep saying they are not guilty.
It also means they accept the state likely has enough evidence to convict.
Rooney was sentenced to five years with the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
That agency is listed at docr.nd.gov.
He must serve at least three years before he can be considered for release.
Court records say he will get credit for 151 days already served.
After prison, Rooney faces five years of supervised probation.
He also must register as a sex offender.
Public registry information is available at sexoffender.nd.gov.
Six additional felony charges were dismissed as part of the case outcome.
Records show Rooney first pleaded not guilty to the felony counts in October 2025.
How the Case Started
Court documents say the case began after a report tied to Reddit activity.
The report was made in December 2024, according to the records.
Investigators said multiple files were shared from two accounts.
Those posts used the same internet address in October 2024, the records say.
Reddit provided eight files to investigators, according to court documents.
Seven files showed children ages 5 to 15, the records state.
Investigation Details
Investigators traced the internet address to Rooney’s home, according to records.
They said Rooney’s phone number and birth date matched the account details.
Investigators also reviewed chats tied to the accounts, court documents say.
Those chats included talk about trading images and seeking young people.
Records say data recovered showed more than 100 files of females in their teens or early 20s.
Court documents say eight images had backgrounds matching Rooney’s home.
During a February 2025 interview, records say Rooney confirmed an online name he used.
He then asked for an attorney, according to the documents.
Records also state investigators did not find explicit child images on his devices.
Still, the documents say his phone had many searches for the linked usernames.
Court records say Rooney was on supervised probation when he was arrested.
More Information
General court system information is available at ndcourts.gov.
If someone suspects online child exploitation, help is available through the NCMEC CyberTipline.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
Needed way more than that.
If this was a minority the comments would be endless
The always look like this
They get less time then a drug dealers wow