MADISON, WIS. -- A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned an indictment on December 17, 2025, charging Timothy McClellan, 40, Wheeler, Wisconsin, with production of child pornography while being required to register as a sex offender, and possession of child pornography.
The indictment alleges that on dates between March 1 and October 6, 2025, McClellan produced pornographic images of five different minors, and that he possessed child pornography on October 15, 2025.
If convicted of the production charge, McClellan faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison; with an additional 10-year consecutive sentence if McClellan is found to have produced the child pornography while being required to register as a sex offender. The possession count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
The charges against him are the result of an investigation conducted by the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office and the Turtle Lake Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger is handling the case.
This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation, and a person named as defendant in an indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Last Update: Dec 21, 2025 11:13 am CST
