MADISON, WI (WSAU) — A Wood County man is facing several federal charges related to child pornography.
Benjamin Mann, 39, of Wisconsin Rapids, was charged today with five counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The indictment against Mann alleges that in March and April of 2020 he used the social media app Kik to distribute images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit content.
The indictment also alleges that as recently as March 5th of 2021 Mann had a phone containing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. At least one of the depictions involved a minor who was under the age of 12.
If convicted, Mann faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison on each distribution count. For the possession count, Mann faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison.
The charges against him are the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and Wood County Sheriff’s Office.
