By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
Editor’s note: This story contains disturbing language and details about a case prosecuted in Marathon County Circuit Court. Reader discretion is advised.
A Wausau man will spend 12 years in prison for collecting hundreds of sexually explicit images and videos of children, evidence discovered as part of a child exploitation investigation.
Brandon Hallberg, 37, was sentenced Monday in Marathon County Circuit Court after pleading guilty to five counts of possessing child pornography. Five additional counts were dismissed but read into the record, part of a plea agreement that allowed Hallberg to avoid a jury trial and a possible 155-year prison term.
Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Hallberg sat Monday with his attorney, John Mathie, as District Attorney Theresa Wetzsteon argued for a 17-year initial term of confinement along with two years in prison due to the defendant’s prior criminal history. Mathie did not present any witnesses for the defense, but Wetzsteon called Wisconsin Dept. of Justice special agent Chad Racine to the stand to bolster the prosecution’s call for harsh penalties for Hallberg.
Agent Racine explained how Hallberg was identified as a suspect in a child pornography investigation, starting with two cyber tips submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Initially, investigators were alerted to suspicious activity that allegedly included thousands of pages of Facebook messages between Hallberg and a 12-year-old girl.
As part of that investigation, investigators first confirmed that the girl and Hallberg were real people and were living in Wisconsin. DCI investigators first made contact with the girl, who lives outside of Marathon County, to confirm details about the messages, described as “sexually suggestive.” Investigators then turned to Hallberg, who allegedly disclosed he was sexually interested in girls between the ages of 12 and 13.
Hallberg was not charged in connection with those messages, a fact that prompted Mathie to repeatedly object to Racine’s testimony. But Circuit Judge Suzanne O’Neill allowed him to continue. Racine eventually described how police in Wausau obtained a warrant and on Sept. 18, 2020 searched Hallberg’s home and seized multiple digital storage devices that contained 1,187 image files and 655 video files depicting sexual content of children.
Forensic extraction data additionally showed anime pornography as well as children engaged in sexual acts with animals, according to court documents. Some of the children in the images were toddler age.
Wetzsteon, in her sentencing argument, also included a victim impact statement from a child who was exploited on film. Experts say children who are depicted in pornographic videos and images suffer a range of long-term effects, from PTSD to depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and mental illnesses.
Children who are being abused on film suffer long-term effects including depression, anxiety, PTSD and other mental illnesses, among a range of other serious consequences.
In handing down the 12-year sentence, Judge O’Neill also ordered Hallberg to spend 10 years on extended supervision and register as a sex offender for 30 years.
