Eden Prairie man faces federal charges tied to March child exploitation case

Michael Bruce Gillis, an Eden Prairie man already facing state charges in Minnesota and Florida, was charged this week in U.S. District Court with coercion and enticement of a minor and production of child pornography, according to a federal criminal complaint.

The federal charges stem from the same March 2 incident in Eden Prairie that led to Gillis’ arrest earlier this month. He was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals on the morning of Friday, March 21, after being held without bail at Hennepin County Jail since March 18.

According to the federal complaint, which was signed March 20 and unsealed the following day, Mounds View police began investigating after a woman reported her 15-year-old nephew missing. Family members reviewing the teen’s iPad discovered sexually explicit messages between the boy and someone identifying himself as “Nick Miller.”

In the exchange, the teen said he was “young” and in high school. “Nick Miller” responded that he “like(s) younger guys” and was “okay with it,” then arranged to meet. Because the teen was too young to drive, the suspect allegedly ordered him an Uber.

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Later that day, Eden Prairie police found the teen walking near the address provided in the chats. The teen told officers that “Nick Miller” had sexually assaulted him and that he escaped after the man fell asleep. Police arrested the suspect at the address and identified him as Gillis, 34.

Gillis was charged in Hennepin County District Court on March 13 with third-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was arrested March 15, released the next day on $250,000 bond, and appeared in court on March 18.

Later that day, he was taken into custody again after Florida authorities revoked his bond in an unrelated child exploitation case. Eden Prairie police arrested him on a warrant from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. He remained in custody at Hennepin County Jail until his transfer to federal custody on March 21.

Federal prosecutors noted in the complaint that Gillis is already facing two other pending cases — one in Hennepin County and one in Polk County — involving alleged child exploitation.

In a statement Friday, Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick said, “Child predators are clear and present dangers to the children of Minnesota. We have federal tools at our disposal – including significant mandatory minimum sentences – that appropriately take predators like this off the street for decades.”

Gillis made a brief initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shannon G. Elkins on March 21 in St. Paul. His next federal court appearance is scheduled for March 27. He remains in custody at Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, which houses federal pretrial detainees under contract with the U.S. Marshals Service.

Previous charges in Minnesota and Florida

Before the March arrest, Gillis had been facing separate charges in both Minnesota and Florida.

• In August 2024, Bloomington police charged him with soliciting a minor online. The case was amended in November to include additional counts; another charge was dismissed. He posted $125,000 bond on March 18 after a brief return to custody.

• In October 2024, while out on bond in the Minnesota case, Gillis was arrested in Florida during a sting targeting online child exploitation. He was charged with traveling to meet a minor after using a computer to lure a child, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and lewd and lascivious conduct involving a child. He was released on $72,000 bond.

Florida prosecutors filed an affidavit on March 4 alleging that Gillis had violated GPS monitoring conditions, which were part of his pretrial release. A judge formally revoked his bond on March 18.

Multi-agency investigation

The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, Eden Prairie Police Department, Mounds View Police Department, and Bloomington Police Department.

“I am glad we are working with our federal partners to get these child predators off the street,” Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said in a statement. “I am confident this partnership will help keep our communities safe.”

Gillis has two separate state cases in Minnesota, both scheduled for hearings on April 21 in Hennepin County District Court – one related to the Eden Prairie incident and the other to the earlier Bloomington case. His Florida pretrial conference is scheduled for May 6.