Oconto County Man Indicted for Child Pornography Production

United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on December 6, 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Rocky R. Sonkowsky (age: 32) of Oconto, Wisconsin, on a single-count of production of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a). 

The indictment alleges that between approximately May 25, 2021, and June 25, 2021, Sonkowsky “employed and used a minor” for the purpose of creating a “visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.”

If convicted of the charge, Sonkowsky faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of 30 years’ imprisonment. He also faces up to a $250,000 fine.  

This case was investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.

An indictment 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.

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For Additional Information Contact:

Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

414-297-1700

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