Minnesota man convicted for sex exploitation after coming to Hiawatha for girls

CEDAR RAPIDS - A man who traveled from Minnesota to Iowa to have sex with two teen girls after responding to an online ad from an undercover agent posing as a sex trafficker was convicted a federal jury Wednesday.   

A jury found Terrance D. Nordwall, 50, of Faribault, Minn., guilty of one count each of attempted sex trafficking of children, attempted enticement of minors and travel for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct.

Trial evidence showed Nordwall exchanged text messages with a Homeland Security Investigations agent, who he believed was a 'pimp” for two girls, ages 14 and 15. Nordwall agreed to pay $200 for a half hour with the two girls, and he drove to the Cedar Rapids area, where he was met by law enforcement officers.

On April 5, a Hiawatha police investigator and a federal agent followed Nordwall's vehicle from a local hotel to an area near the Hiawatha Library, where they identified themselves as law enforcement and told him they knew why he was in Iowa, according to a warrant.

Nordwall admitted he had been talking and texting with a man who was prostituting teens and was supposed to meet him at the library, the warrant stated. Nordwall said he 'picked up escorts” but not underage. He just wanted to see whether these girls were real and then planned to take photos of them to provide to law enforcement, according to the warrant.

Investigators, who had permission from Nordwall to look at his phone, found naked images of females but he denied they were minors.

Nordwall has previous Minnesota convictions for third-degree criminal sexual conduct, possession of pornographic work involving minors and two counts of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to court documents. He completed 15 years on the sex offender registry in February resulting from the third-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction.

Nordwall faces a mandatory minimum 10 years in federal prison and could face up to life. He also faces up to a $750,000 fine, $15,300 in special assessments, and will be on supervised release for five years following his prison term.

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