Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Scott Chier, 63, from Middleton, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson and will be followed by 15 years of supervised release. Additionally, Chier is required to pay $45,000 in restitution to his victims. He pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025.
The investigation began after law enforcement received information about an IP address linked to Chier distributing child pornography. A search warrant executed at his residence in Middleton on July 27, 2022, uncovered images of child pornography on electronic devices owned by him. Chier was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 3, 2022; however, the case resolution was delayed due to a legal issue with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
During sentencing, Judge Peterson emphasized the seriousness of Chier's conduct due to the nature and distribution of the images and his prior conviction for similar offenses. The judge stated that the sentence aims to protect the public and deter further criminal behavior by Chier.
The charge against Chier resulted from an investigation conducted by several agencies including the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and police departments from Waukesha, Hartford, and Middleton. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Pfluger and Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.
This investigation was part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local resources.
