Wisconsin Man Charged with Producing Images of Child Sexual Abuse

MINNEAPOLIS – A Superior, Wisconsin, man has been indicted for producing images depicting his sexual abuse of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in May 2008, George Francis Deppa, 48, coerced a 15-year-old minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.

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 Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children in crimes involving child pornography, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Deppa is charged with three counts of production of child pornography. Deppa will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before a Magistrate Judge at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Duluth Police Department, with assistance from the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office and the Douglas County (Wisconsin) Attorney’s Office. Deppa faces additional state felony charges involving sexual assaults against minors in St. Louis County and Douglas County. Based on the evidence obtained in this investigation, authorities believe there may be additional victims of the alleged conduct. Anyone with information about this matter is encouraged to call the FBI Minneapolis Division at (218) 722-3341.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Middlecamp is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.