MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Ryan T. Shelton, 30, Eagle River, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty and was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson, to 8 years in prison for receiving child pornography. This term of imprisonment will be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
On May 26, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Shelton’s home. On a phone in Shelton’s pocket, officers found a video recording a conversation on a laptop screen. In the conversation a girl identifies herself as being 12 years old. To the left of the conversation, a girl can be seen engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
In sentencing the defendant, Judge Peterson noted that Shelton’s conduct had aggravating factors, including his actual engagement with a live 12-year-old victim, the fact that he actively engaged with other people who were interested in child exploitation, and his long-term involvement with child exploitative material.
The charge against Shelton was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.