Former Oshkosh Resident Charged in Federal Court for Walking From Indianapolis Suburb to Wisconsin to Engage in Sexual Activity with 14 Year-old

United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that Tommy Lee Jenkins (age: 32), recently a resident of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was charged via a criminal complaint following his October 10, 2019, arrest by local and federal authorities.

According to the complaint and supporting affidavit, starting on October 1, 2019, Jenkins, who recently moved from Oshkosh to Whitestown, Indiana, began exchanging instant messages with “Kylee” whom he believed to be a 14 year-old girl living in Neenah, Wisconsin with her mother.  Jenkins began demanding sexually explicit photographs from “Kylee” and making plans to engage in sexual activity with the minor.  When his numerous requests for “Kylee” to join him in Indiana were rebuffed, Jenkins began walking the 351-mile trek from Whitestown, Indiana to Neenah, Wisconsin.  Along the way, Jenkins continued to engage “Kylee” in sexually explicit conversations and updated her as to his current location.

“Kylee” was, in fact, a Winnebago County Sheriff’s Deputy assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children (“ICAC”) Task Force.  Upon his arrival in Winnebago County, sheriff’s deputies and a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation placed Jenkins under arrest. 

Jenkins faces charges of using a computer to attempt to persuade, induce, or entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b).  He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to a lifetime of imprisonment if convicted of that charge.

“Our nation faces an epidemic of child sexual abuse, with the Internet making it too easy for predators to communicate with children across the country,” said United States Attorney Krueger.  “The Justice Department is committed to working with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to prosecute child sexual abuse aggressively.” 

This case was investigated by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Green Bay office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.

A criminal complaint 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.