Neenah Man Arrested on Federal Child Pornography Charges

United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 20, 2018, Alexander P. Bebris (age: 49) of Neenah, Wisconsin, was charged by a criminal complaint with distribution of child pornography, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2)(A), and possession of child pornography, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(5)(B). He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and up to 20 years of incarceration in federal prison.

According to the complaint and supporting affidavit, in September of 2018, Facebook notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that one of its users had sent images of child pornography via its messenger system to another Facebook user account. The Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce launched an investigation and determined that the images were sent from an IP address in use at Bebris’s residence in Neenah. Investigators sought and obtained a search warrant for that residence.

On December 19, 2018, the search warrant was executed at Bebris’ residence. A preliminary forensic examination of the hard drive on Bebris’ computer revealed images of pornography involving children ranging in age from approximately one to ten years old.   

This case was investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s ICAC Task Force, the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.

A criminal complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.