MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Richard M. Duellman, 43, Rhinelander, Wisconsin pleaded guilty and was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 10 years in federal prison and 5 years of supervised release to follow, for attempting to persuade and entice a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
On July 21, 2020, Duellman began chatting online with an undercover detective pretending to be a 15-year-old girl. During those chats, Duellman gave the detective a cell phone number and they began to text message each other. The two exchanged text messages for several hours, during which the detective told the defendant “she” was 15 and the defendant said numerous times he wanted to “get in her pants.” The defendant then talked on the phone to a second undercover employee pretending to be the same 15-year-old girl, during which the defendant again discussed getting into the girl’s pants and asked about having sex. Duellman and the undercover employee agreed to meet at a business in Rhinelander that same day, and the defendant was taken into custody shortly after he arrived.
In a post-arrest interview, Duellman admitted meeting a female online and said the female told him that she was 15 years old. He said they had conversations about sexual things and birth control and then he decided to meet her. At today’s hearing, the defendant admitted that he intended to meet the girl to have sex with her.
In sentencing Duellman, Judge Peterson expressed his concern about the defendant’s criminal history and continued sexual interest in teenage girls, noting that a 10-year sentence was warranted to protect the public.
The charge against Duellman was the result of an investigation conducted by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and Rhinelander Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.
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