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Press Release

Twice Convicted Child Sex Offender Indicted for Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Wisconsin

United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 21, 2020, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Darrin S. McElhatton (age: 40) of Appleton, Wisconsin.

McElhatton faces charges alleging he received child pornography contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2)(A) and that he possessed child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(5)(B). The indictment alleges that McElhatton received and possessed digital videos and images of prepubescent boys in the act of being sexually abused.  

In 2011, McElhatton was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child in Green Lake County Circuit Court. Following a prison sentence, he was convicted again in 2014 in Outagamie Circuit Court for the possession of child pornography. He is required to register as a sexual offender under the laws of the State of Wisconsin. Based on his prior record, McElhatton faces a mandatory 15 years’ imprisonment and up to 40 years imprisonment if convicted of the charges.

This case was investigated by the Grand Chute Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of Community Corrections.  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. 

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

 

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For further information contact:

Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales,

(414) 297-1700

 

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Updated July 22, 2020