Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 14, 2020, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Jesse K. Bell (age: 32) of Neenah, Wisconsin.

According to the indictment, in May of 2020, Bell was in possession of pornographic images of children under 12 years old. Bell is charged with one count of possession of child pornography, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(5)(b). He faces a sentence of up to 20 years of incarceration in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Neenah Police Department with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Brown County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.    

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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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