Benjamin T. Mann, Child Pornography, Wisconsin 2020

La Crosse, WI - A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin returned an indictment against Benjamin T. Mann, 39, of Wisconsin Rapids, on child pornography charges.

Mann is charged with five counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The indictment alleges that in March and April 2020, Mann used Kik to distribute images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment also alleges that on March 3, 2021, Mann possessed a phone containing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and that at least one of the depictions involved a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.

If convicted, Mann faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison on each distribution count, and a maximum of 10 years on the possession count.

The charges against Mann are the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and Wood County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman is handling the prosecution.

Mann is currently a defendant in this case and has not been convicted of any crime.

According to the indictment, Mann’s actions are punishable under federal law and could result in significant prison time if convicted.

The federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin returned the indictment on [no date provided].

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwi/pr/grand-jury-returns-indictments-109