Neil A. Frank, Child Enticement, Wisconsin 2021

A 36-year-old Appleton man has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for seeking to entice a child into having sexual intercourse.

Neil A. Frank, a registered sex offender in the State of Wisconsin, was sentenced on November 29, 2021, for his crimes, which began in May 2020.

According to court records, Frank used a popular social media site to communicate with a 15-year-old located in Appleton, requesting graphic digital images and expressing his desire to have sexual intercourse with the child.

On May 18, 2020, Frank drove to the apartment complex where he believed the child lived, only to be arrested by an undercover police officer with the Fox Valley Metro Police Department.

At the time of his arrest, Frank was a registered sex offender due to a prior conviction for attempted possession of child pornography in Outagamie County in 2012.

Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach noted the serious nature of the charge, Frank’s prior record, and the need for just punishment during sentencing.

Following his release from prison, Frank will spend five years on supervised release and will continue to be required to register as a sexual offender.

The case was investigated by the Fox Valley Metro Police Department with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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.

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