MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Curtis S. Pethley, 61, McFarland, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William Conley to five years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. This term of imprisonment will be followed by a ten-year period of supervised release. Pethley pleaded guilty to this charge on May 18, 2018.
On Dec. 21, 2016, Pethley used Facebook to communicate with an unidentified Facebook user. In the communication, Pethley asked the other user if he wanted to have sex with a minor and then sent a picture depicting a young girl engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Pethley also faces charges of identity theft in the District of Oregon for unrelated conduct.
The charge against Pethley was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force and the McFarland Police Department. The Task Force is comprised of the FBI; Milwaukee and West Allis Police Departments; Sheboygan, Waukesha, and Milwaukee County Sheriffs’ Offices; and Homeland Security Investigations. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
