Joshua Sherwood, 34, of Arpin, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to a 16-year prison term for receiving child pornography, a decision brought down by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley. According to a release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin, following his earlier conviction for possessing child pornography, Sherwood quickly resumed his criminal activities, targeting minor girls and manipulating them into producing sexually explicit content.
Barely out of state prison, the defendant began soliciting and threatening his victims across America—indulging in what Judge Conley described as direct exploitation. Sherwood, according to Judge Conley, expressed no understanding of the damage inflicted by his actions, a position fortified by his threats against the girls after they refused further cooperation.
Upon pleading guilty last November, Sherwood faced the consequences of his actions with a hefty sentence set to be followed by 25 years of supervised release. Judge Conley, given the patterns of behavior exhibited by the defendant, chose the lengthy sentence to reflect the severity of the exploitation.
The federal investigation leading to Sherwood's sentencing was a cooperative effort involving several agencies including the Smyrna, Tennessee Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and Wisconsin law enforcement. This case falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a robust initiative designed to combat the sexual exploitation and abuse of children online. More information about PSC's national crusade can be found at their official website.
