Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that Rodney A. Hanes, 59, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach delivered the sentence on October 6, 2025. Hanes will also be subject to supervised release for life after pleading guilty to child enticement and producing child pornography.
Court records indicate that in June 2024, Hanes—who had a prior felony sexual assault conviction from 1995—was residing in Manitowoc County when he met a 14-year-old girl from Outagamie County through Snapchat. He picked up the victim at night near her home and sexually assaulted her in a parking lot. Over the following seven months, Hanes continued to sexually assault the victim at various locations in Outagamie and Brown County, including after-hours at his workplace. During this period, he provided methamphetamine to the victim and recorded multiple images and videos of the assaults.
The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department began investigating after receiving a tip in January 2025. Hanes was arrested at his workplace and law enforcement seized his phone containing child pornography that he had produced.
At sentencing, Judge Griesbach stated: “The severity of Hanes’s conduct in targeting a child warrants a lengthy prison term to achieve just punishment, deterrence, and protection of the public.”
The investigation was led by the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
