Federal Grand Jury Returns Indictments

MADISON, WI—A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. A charge is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Marshfield Man Charged with Armed Robbery of Controlled Substance

Dustin Jon Fritz, 31, Marshfield, Wisconsin, is charged with taking a quantity of a controlled substance during the robbery of a Walgreens in Marshfield on June 15, 2012. The indictment also alleges that Fritz used a firearm during the robbery.

Fritz was arrested by the Marshfield Police Department shortly after the robbery occurred.

If convicted, Fritz faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on the robbery charge and a mandatory seven years to life on the using a firearm during a crime of violence count, which would be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Marshfield Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin F. Burke.

Janesville Man Charged with Possession of Child Pornography

Daniel J. Courtney, 23, Janesville, Wisconsin, is charged with possession of a computer hard drive containing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment alleges that Courtney possessed the child pornography on November 9, 2011.

If convicted, Courtney faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Inmate Charged with Possession of Marijuana

Christopher Sinclair, 32, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution at Oxford, Wisconsin, is charged with possessing a prohibited object, namely marijuana. The indictment alleges that he possessed the marijuana on March 19, 2012.

If convicted, Sinclair faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Prisons. The prosecution of this case has been assigned to Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Fillbach Lenzendorf.