Brandon Lemerond, 20, a registered sex offender from Manitowoc, is now facing a new round of serious federal charges after a grand jury indicted him on March 17 on child obscenity and child pornography counts that carry the potential for decades in prison. Federal prosecutors say he produced obscene visual depictions, and they allege he used his status as a registered sex offender to commit additional offenses. Authorities say the alleged conduct dates back to July 2025, and the indictment has been returned to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
According to the federal charging document outlined by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Lemerond faces two counts of Obscene Visual Depictions of the Sexual Abuse of Children, one count of Production of Child Pornography, and three counts of Commission of a Felony Sex Offense by an Individual Required to Register as a Sexual Offender. Prosecutors say each obscenity count carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 40 years in federal prison. The production count carries a mandatory minimum of 25 years and a maximum of 50 years. In addition, federal authorities note there is a separate mandatory 10 year consecutive sentence if a new child offense is committed while the person is on the sex offender registry.
How investigators say they found evidence
Court filings and local coverage indicate the federal case grew out of an online tip that sparked a digital trail. Investigators began looking into the matter after a cybertip flagged suspicious online material and, according to Seehafer News, traced the activity to a Snapchat account linked to a Manitowoc address. That tip originated with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and led officers to files they allege contained child sexual abuse material.
Custody and prior record
Manitowoc County's publicly posted prisoner list shows that Brandon Michael Lemerond is currently being held at the county jail, with his name appearing on the roster that is available through the Manitowoc County website. Sex offender registry information and earlier reporting indicate he previously pleaded guilty in 2023, as a juvenile, to possession of child pornography charges and was placed on Wisconsin's sex offender registry. Local coverage has reported that in that earlier phase of the case he was released under conditions that included a cash bond, and the federal indictment now comes on the heels of those state proceedings.
Legal implications
Federal prosecutors say the case is being brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative that combines federal, state, and local resources to target online child exploitation. The U.S. Attorney's Office also stresses that an indictment is only a formal accusation. Lemerond, like any defendant in the federal system, is presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
What happens next
Publicly accessible state court records and local reports show Lemerond previously appeared for a preliminary hearing in early March and had been held on a $20,000 cash bond. With the federal indictment now filed, the case will move forward in federal court while any remaining state matters continue on separate tracks in Wisconsin courts. Those who want to follow the case can review the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access docket along with local reporting for the latest official filings and scheduling updates.
