James H. Hornung, a 73-year-old resident of Newbold, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for transporting obscene material in interstate commerce on two occasions. The sentencing was announced by Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
Hornung pleaded guilty to the charges on December 2, 2024. The case originated when an individual reported finding a duffel bag along a logging trail in the Town of Newbold on September 17, 2023. Law enforcement seized the bag and discovered it contained approximately 27 USB flash drives, SD cards, several CDs, and other electronics. A laptop found in the bag was identified as belonging to Hornung.
Upon analysis of the laptop and six flash drives from the duffel bag, agents located nearly 3,500 media files that appeared to be child pornography. During an interview with officers, Hornung admitted ownership of the duffel bag and acknowledged that it contained child pornography.
Judge William M. Conley presided over Hornung's sentencing and expressed concerns about Hornung's intentions to retrieve the duffel bag after his release from custody to retain possession of his collection. Judge Conley noted that it was aggravating that Hornung accessed child pornography while on bond for another related case. He described Hornung as a sexual predator unwilling or unable to address his attraction to minors.
Hornung's criminal history includes convictions for second-degree sexual assault in 1979, sexual assault of a child in 1997, and possession of child pornography in 2023.
The investigation leading to these charges was conducted by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Ginsberg prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a national initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating resources at federal, state, and local levels to apprehend offenders and rescue victims.
