James H. Hornung, a 73-year-old resident of Newbold, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for transporting obscene material across state lines. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley after Hornung pleaded guilty to the charges on December 2, 2024.
The case began on September 17, 2023, when law enforcement received a report about a duffel bag found along a logging trail in the Town of Newbold. The bag contained numerous electronic storage devices including USB flash drives and SD cards. A laptop found within the bag was identified as belonging to Hornung. Upon analysis, agents discovered nearly 3,500 media files suspected to be child pornography.
Hornung admitted ownership of the duffel bag and acknowledged that it contained child pornography. He confessed to collecting such material and hiding it due to fears of being caught.
Judge Conley noted that Hornung likely intended to retrieve the duffel bag upon release from custody to maintain his collection. The judge highlighted that Hornung's actions were particularly egregious as he accessed child pornography while on bond for another similar offense. Judge Conley described Hornung as a sexual predator unable or unwilling to address his attraction to minors.
Hornung's criminal history includes convictions for second-degree sexual assault in 1979, sexual assault of a child in 1997, and possession of child pornography in 2023.
The investigation leading to these charges was conducted by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Ginsberg prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), an initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts at various government levels.