First Assistant United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad announced that Steven P. Link (47) was sentenced on June 1, 2015, by Chief Judge William C. Griesbach to 90 months imprisonment for the receipt of child pornography in violation of Title 18, United State Code, Section 2252A. Upon his release, Link will be on federal supervised release for 15 years and will have to report as a sex offender.
According to court documents, Sturgeon Bay Police Department officers executed a search warrant at a bookstore named “Untitled and Rare Used Books" that is owned and operated by Mr. Link. They also searched Link’s residence. Law enforcement officers seized numerous computers and media storage devices, searched them, and identified thousands of images and movie files containing child pornography. In particular, law enforcement forensic examiners determined that Link’s external hard drive contained approximately 841 GB of pornography consisting of 37,100 movie/image files (approximately 31,014 image files and the remainder movie files). According to law enforcement officers, at least 800 GB of this total consisted of images of teenage girls engaged in sexually explicit conduct; at least half of that 800 GB total involves minors believed to be between 5 and 16 years of age engaged in various forms of sexually explicit conduct.
In pronouncing sentence, Judge Griesbach noted Link’s extensive collection of child pornography including graphic movie files depicting minors engaged in horrific sexual acts. He also found the case aggravated because Link made secret video recordings of young adult females using the public bathroom at the bookstore while in various stages of undress.
The case was investigated by the Sturgeon Bay Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Roach.
First Assistant United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad said: “Child pornography offenses exploit and victimize the most vulnerable members of our society. Investigations and prosecutions like this reflect the absolute commitment that the Department of Justice has made to protecting children from abuse and exploitation. The Department often is assisted in these efforts by our local law enforcement partners, and the tireless work of Sturgeon Bay Police Department Sergeant Carl Waterstreet and Officer Chad Mielke, the computer forensic examiner, was integral to the successful investigation and prosecution of this complicated case." # #
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
