United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

01/25/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/25/2022 11:38

Door County Man Sentenced on Child Pornography Charges

United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on January 24, 2022, Christopher J. Kone (age: 37) of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 156 months' imprisonment for two counts of possession of child pornography.

Between July 20, 2020, and November 12, 2020, Kone was the focus of a joint human trafficking investigation between the Door County Sheriff's Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation. During the investigation, law enforcement located several pornographic images of a minor on his cellular telephone. Kone subsequently pled guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(5)(b).

In pronouncing sentence, Senior U.S. District Judge William C. Griesbach noted the serious nature of Kone's crimes which involved sexual assault and attempted trafficking of a minor. The judge further highlighted the need to deter Kone and others from engaging in similar behavior. Following his release from prison, Kone will serve seven years on supervised release and will be required to register as a sexual offender under federal and state law.

This case was investigated by the Door County Sheriff's Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erica J. Lounsberry, Alexander E. Duros, and Daniel R. Humble.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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For further information contact: [email protected], (414) 297-1700

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