Madison Man Sentenced to 10 Years After Pleading Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography

 MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that today Brian D. Lamphier, 52, Madison, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 10 years in federal prison.  This prison term will be followed by 15 years of supervised release.

In June 2019, the Madison Police Department received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that an adult male, later identified as Lamphier, was using Facebook to communicate with a potential minor and was sending potential images of child pornography.  Investigation revealed that the person Lamphier was talking to was 19-years-old and, thus, was not a minor, and that the images that he was sending could not be determined to be child pornography.  Madison Police Officers spoke with Lamphier and warned him that his behavior was very close to the line of being illegal.

In June 2020, the Madison Police Department received another tip from NCMEC that a 50-year-old man, later identified as Lamphier, was attempting to entice a 15-year-old boy to engage in sexual conduct via Facebook messenger.  Investigation revealed that Lamphier met the minor on the Internet and from March through June of 2020, paid the minor to engage in sexual activity.  During some of the sexual encounters, Lamphier took nude pictures of the minor.  On April 8, 2020, Lamphier sent one of the nude images of the boy to the previously identified 19-year-old Facebook user. 

At sentencing, after the victim’s family spoke, Judge Peterson noted the devastating consequences on the victim and his family.  Judge Peterson stated that Lamphier’s “insistent pattern of conduct” with the minor, combined with the fact that he had been given a prior warning by the police, were aggravating for sentencing.  In choosing a 10-year sentence, Judge Peterson stated that Lamphier not only distributed child pornography but also engaged in the sustained abuse of a child and the production of child pornography.  Judge Peterson also stated that Lamphier “treated his victim like an object for [his] own sexual satisfaction.” 

The charge against Lamphier was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie S. Pfluger prosecuted this case.