Charges Filed Against Man Accused of Luring, Assaulting Teenager

Mar 22, 2025

An Eden Prairie man faces federal charges after allegedly using a fake identity to chat with a teenager online.

The suspect then arranged for a ride and sexually assaulted the victim, according to court documents filed in U.S. District Court.

The investigation began on March 2, when Mounds View police received a report of a missing 15-year-old boy. While attempting to locate the juvenile, family members examined the teen’s electronic devices and found recent conversations between the teen and a person identifying himself as “Nick Miller.”

In the messages, the boy stated he was still in high school. The individual responded that he liked “younger guys” and was “okay with it,” according to the complaint. The communication quickly escalated to sexually explicit exchanges, including graphic images.

After the exchange, the two agreed to meet. Because the teen could not drive, the suspect ordered a ride-share service to pick him up and transport him to the meeting location. Later that day, officers performed a welfare check at the address associated with the ride. They found the teen nearby on foot. He reported that “Nick Miller” had sexually assaulted him and that he had escaped after the suspect fell asleep.

Authorities located the suspect at the home and identified him as Michael Bruce Gillis, 35, of Eden Prairie. He was taken into custody and now faces one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of production of child sexual abuse material. He remains detained pending further proceedings. According to the complaint, investigators discovered two additional active cases involving Gillis, both related to child exploitation—one in Hennepin County, Minn., and another in Polk County, Fla.

Federal officials emphasized the importance of prosecuting such cases aggressively:

“As this case demonstrates, child predators are clear and present dangers to the children of Minnesota,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick. “We have federal tools at our disposal—including significant mandatory minimum sentences—that appropriately take predators like this off the street for decades.”

Special Agent in Charge, Alvin Winston Sr. of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, called Gillis’ alleged conduct “deliberate” and “predatory,” stating it caused “significant harm and trauma” to the juvenile victim.

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