Missouri Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Possessing Child Pornography

MADISON, WIS. - Timothy M. O'Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Ryan A. Campbell, 46, Levasy, Missouri, formerly of Amery, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 15 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. This term of imprisonment will be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Campbell pleaded guilty to this charge on March 28, 2024.

In September 2022, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received a tip that Campbell was uploading child pornography. Law enforcement agents later searched a phone seized from Campbell and found child pornography, including images that Campbell himself produced.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson questioned whether Campbell understood the seriousness of his actions and was concerned Campbell was deflecting blame for his actions on others. Judge Peterson determined that the 20-year period of supervised release was warranted because the defendant did not seem to accept responsibility for his actions and because he had an impulse toward sexual activity with children.

The charge against Campbell was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, the Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.

This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.justice.gov/psc.