Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty After Requesting Person in Philippines Sexually Abuse a Child and Record the Abuse

Bradley D. Hounsell, 44, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty today to one count of coercing and enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual conduct.

As detailed in the plea agreement, Hounsell communicated with an individual in the Philippines on a social media platform, seeking sexually explicit videos and images of children. In November 2023, the individual informed Hounsell that the individual had access to a 13-year-old child, and Hounsell asked the individual to produce and send him a video of the individual sexually abusing the child. Hounsell paid the individual and the child via an online payment platform and in exchange, the individual sent him a video depicting the sexual abuse of the child, performing the acts that Hounsell requested. A later review by law enforcement of Hounsell’s online communications with this individual revealed Hounsell’s repeated requests for sexualized images of minors.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Brad D. Schimel for the Eastern District of Wisconsin made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the FBI with the assistance of the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Humble for the Eastern District of Wisconsin are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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.