Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, has announced that Scott Chier, a 63-year-old resident of 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. Chier is also required to pay $45,000 in restitution to the victims.
Chier had pleaded guilty to the offense 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 on July 27, 2022, led to the discovery of images on his electronic devices. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 3, 2022; however, the case resolution was delayed due to a legal issue pending with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge Peterson emphasized the seriousness of Chier’s actions due to the nature and distribution of the images and noted Chier’s prior conviction for similar conduct. The sentence aims to protect the public and deter further criminal activity by Chier.
The charge resulted from an investigation conducted by multiple law enforcement 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 the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a national initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by utilizing federal, state, and local resources for locating offenders and rescuing victims.
