Former Walworth County correctional officer Samuel Pieper has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 10 years of extended supervision, after pleading guilty to two counts of child trafficking. The case grew out of an investigation into suspected online payments to minors for explicit images and videos that authorities say took place in mid-2024. Pieper resigned from the Walworth County Sheriff's Office after a search warrant at his home led to his arrest in March 2025.
The sentence follows his guilty plea to two counts of child trafficking, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee. That report cites Wisconsin circuit court files and related records for the sentencing details.
How Investigators Say The Case Broke Open
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Pieper's residence on March 6, 2025, after a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children flagged suspected transfers of money to suspected minors in exchange for videos or images in June and July 2024, as detailed in a Wisconsin Department of Justice release. The department said Pieper was booked into the Walworth County Jail and then transported to the Rock County Jail, and that he resigned from his job the same day.
Charges And Prosecution
State prosecutors originally charged Pieper on March 7, 2025, with two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of trafficking of a child, local coverage at the time reported, according to WTMJ. The investigation has been led by the DOJ ICAC Task Force and is being prosecuted by the Walworth County District Attorney's Office, according to court records.
What Officials Are Saying Now
In its March 2025 notice, the DOJ said there were no known local victims at that time and urged anyone with information to contact the ICAC tip line at (608) 266-1671, according to the same Wisconsin Department of Justice statement. Prosecutors are expected to file specific supervision and release terms in circuit court as Pieper begins serving his sentence.
The case adds to a growing string of investigations in southeastern Wisconsin that have put a stark spotlight on online child exploitation and the role of national and state tip lines in catching it. Local law enforcement and child-protection advocates point to those tips, including reports routed through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as a key tool for uncovering and prosecuting exploitation that often starts quietly on the internet.
