Wisconsin Man Gets 25 Years for Sex Crimes Involving Children
Few offenses are treated as seriously by police, prosecutors, and judges as sex crimes against children. Even violent crimes, in general, do not result in the same emotional determination to find, prosecute, and punish those who hurt and victimize children. This a lesson that a Wisconsin man is about to learn the hard way—so to speak—as he was recently sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for child sex trafficking.
A Series of Disturbing Events
A 36-year-old man from Rhinelander was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison last week. The man had already pleaded guilty to “sex trafficking of a child under the age of 14 years old.” According to news reports, court documents, and a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the plea deal resulted in similar state-level charges in Marathon and Lincoln Counties being dropped.
Court documents indicate the man relied on social media and public Wi-Fi to communicate with minors, often offering money in exchange for sex acts, between 2018 and 2020. The charge to which he pled guilty, however, involved the solicitation of a 13-year-old girl in Illinois in 2019. The man reportedly drove to Illinois to have sex with the child in exchange for cash. Additional investigation found that the man performed or attempted sex acts with several other minors in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois.
Earlier this year, a 35-year-old woman from Cameron, WI, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years’ probation for offering a child to the same man for sex in exchange for money and drugs. It does not appear that the man was ever charged in connection with this particular incident, but it was part of the larger investigation into his criminal behavior.
At the man’s sentencing hearing, the presiding judge indicated that the man’s crimes were not decisions made lightly and that the man had “committed despicable acts over a lengthy period of time.” Once his sentence is served, the man will be on supervised release for the rest of his life. He must also register as a sex offender under federal and Wisconsin law.
Defending Against Sex Crime Allegations
While the evidence in this case was nearly overwhelming, it is not uncommon for allegations of sex crimes to be based on far less. If you have been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior against a child or another adult, you need a compassionate, responsible defense lawyer on your side who understands the importance of “innocent until proven guilty. With the help of your attorney, you can be sure that your rights and best interests will be protected, no matter how serious the allegations against you may be.
Contact a Waukesha County Sex Crimes Lawyer
For more information about building a strong, aggressive defense against sex crime charges, contact an experienced Milwaukee County criminal defense lawyer. Call 262-303-4916 to schedule a free, confidential consultation with a compassionate member of the team at Bucher Law Group, LLC today.
Sources:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwi/pr/rhinelander-man-sentenced-25-years-imprisonment-child-sex-trafficking
https://www.wsaw.com/2022/09/22/rhinelander-man-sentenced-25-years-prison-child-sex-trafficking/
https://www.weau.com/2022/06/28/cameron-woman-sentenced-child-trafficking-case/