Wisconsin man sentenced to 10 years for distributing child pornography

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. The sentence resulted from a joint investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, and the Toronto (Canada) Police Department.

Jeremy Hogenkamp, 36, of Viroqua, Wis., was sentenced Dec. 4 by U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb, Western District of Wisconsin. Hogenkamp pleaded guilty to the charges Sept. 25 and has remained in custody since then.

A federal search warrant, premised on an undercover Internet investigation, was executed at Hogenkamp's residence Feb. 4, 2010. During the search, HSI special agents found computers and electronic storage media containing child pornography.

At the time of the federal search warrant, Hogenkamp also faced child pornography charges in La Crosse County. Hogenkamp was convicted and sentenced in La Crosse County to four months in jail and 10 years' probation. He completed serving the state jail sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy M. O'Shea and Julie Pfluger, Western District of Wisconsin, prosecuted this case.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

HSI is a founding member and the U.S. representative of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.