A Minot man facing eight felony counts related to child sexual abuse material and promoting a sexual performance by a minor has entered guilty pleas to two of the charges as part of a plea agreement with state prosecutors.

Tony Justin Lynch, 39, Minot, entered his guilty pleas at a preliminary hearing held in North Central District Court in Minot Thursday afternoon. Lynch plead guilty to one count of promoting a sexual performance by a minor, a Class B felony; and one count of possession of certain materials prohibited, a Class C felony. Three additional counts of promoting a sexual performance by a minor and three counts of possession of prohibited materials were dismissed in accordance with the plea agreement.

According to court documents, Lynch was charged Feb. 28 following an investigation by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation into a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The cybertip reported about 10 files of apparent child sexual abuse material sent by a social messaging account.

Data from the messaging app included several images of a male suspect later identified as Lynch, and an IP address for a hotel in Minot he was staying at the time the CSAM and various messages were sent.

District Judge Gary Lee ordered a presentence investigation and scheduled Lynch’s sentencing for Oct. 28. Lynch faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine or both for the Class B felony, and five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine for the Class C felony.