MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Kyle A. Riggs, 34, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 150 months in prison for distributing child pornography. This term of imprisonment is to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Riggs pleaded guilty to this charge on January 13, 2020.
In May 2019, an undercover officer created a profile on a social networking and dating application, portraying himself as an 11-year-old girl, “Miranda.” Riggs reached out to “Miranda” and began sending sexualized statements. The two then continued their conversation on Kik. Despite believing “Miranda” was 11, Riggs indicated he wanted to have sex with her and film it. He also repeatedly asked “Miranda” to send him pictures.
On October 5, 2019, Riggs sent “Miranda” a video showing an adult male sexually assaulting a prepubescent girl. He claimed the video showed him sexually assaulting a neighbor. While that proved to be false, the investigation revealed that Riggs had sexually assaulted a different child, and will likely face state charges for that in the future.
At sentencing, Riggs blamed marijuana and alcohol for his actions but Judge Conley found that to be “at most a little too easy” of an excuse. Judge Conley determined that a lengthy sentence was necessary because the defendant’s crimes were so serious and damaging to its victims.
The charge against Riggs was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, the Eau Claire and Fort Atkinson Police Departments, the Jefferson and Shawano County Sheriffs’ Offices, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman.
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