Two Grand Jury Indictments Unsealed

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced today that two unrelated indictments returned by a federal grand jury on September 1 have been unsealed following the arrest of the defendants. 

Noah Eisele, 35, Janesville, Wisconsin is charged with five counts of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.  The indictment alleges that on five occasions between April and November 2020, Eisele used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.  The indictment also charged Eisele with possessing child pornography.  The indictment alleges that on March 16, 2021, he possessed a cellphone containing visual depictions of child pornography, and that at least one of the depictions involved a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.

Eisele was arrested at his home in Janesville on Thursday, September 2.  He made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Madison that day.  He is being held at the Dane County Jail.

If convicted, Eisele faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison on each production charge, and a maximum of 20 years on the possession charge.  The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Rock County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor Kraus is handling the prosecution.

The second indictment charges Michelle Ales, 50, Monona, Wisconsin with two counts of making a false statement while purchasing a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer.  Both counts allege that Ales falsely indicated she was the actual buyer of a firearm on a required Firearms Transaction Record form when she was purchasing a 9mm firearm, when she knew she was not the actual buyer of the firearm.  Count 2 includes the additional allegation that the false statement was intended and likely to deceive the dealer.

Ales was arrested in Madison on Friday, September 3.  Her initial appearance in U.S. District Court is not scheduled.  She is being held at the Dane County Jail.