Merrill Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years for Producing Child Pornography

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jason D. Ridolfi, 42, Merrill, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 16 ½ years in prison for using a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography.  This term of imprisonment is to be followed by 20 years of supervised release.  The defendant pleaded guilty to this charge on March 21, 2022. 

In November 2020, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that sexually explicit images of children had been uploaded to Google the month prior.  Based on this tip, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Ridolfi’s home and found more than 25,000 images of child pornography, including some the defendant produced, on devices belonging to the defendant. 

Judge Conley stated that Ridolfi needed to address his alcoholism and mental health needs to ensure he did not offend again.  Judge Conley was also concerned that the defendant’s behavior had escalated from possession of child pornography created by others, to creating it on his own. 

The charge against Ridolfi was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kenosha Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.