Former Police Chief Indicted for Possessing Child Pornography While Awaiting Start of Prior Federal Prison Sentence for Distribution of Child Pornography
Published 3:36 pm Thursday, September 9, 2021
Acting United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that Alexander P. Bebris (age: 52) of Denmark, Wisconsin, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Milwaukee for possessing child pornography.
On November 13, 2020, Bebris, a former career law enforcement officer, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment following a conviction in the Eastern District of Wisconsin for distribution of child pornography. He was allowed to remain free pending the outcome of his appeal. On July 15, 2021, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied Bebris’ appeal and he was ordered to report to federal prison on August 24, 2021.
According to court records, on August 20, 2021, Calumet and Brown County law enforcement executed a search warrant at Bebris’ residence, found Bebris in possession of child pornography, and arrested him. The indictment alleges that Bebris possessed child pornography as a repeat offender and that he did so in violation of the terms of his release.
If convicted, Bebris faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to 30 years of imprisonment. Further, any sentence imposed must be served consecutive to the 60-month sentence already imposed by the court.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.projectsafechildhood.gov.