MADISON - A Monroe man who became addicted to online sadomasochism was sentenced Monday in federal court to four years in prison for attempted child enticement and possession of child pornography.
Thomas Zwicker, 68, has run a woodworking business in Monroe for 40 years and was a Wisconsin Ducks Unlimited State Council chairman but turned to the Internet after withdrawing from close relationships, said District Judge William Conley.
"This case illustrates the insidious and malignant nature of child pornography which can lead to an addiction fueled by Internet access," Conley told Zwicker and about 20 people attending his sentencing hearing.
Zwicker spent several years generating thousands of sexually-charged chatroom conversations in which he often assumed the dominant role in a master-slave online sexual relationship. He would not have run afoul of the law had he confined the chats to adults, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger.
Instead, his was indiscriminate with whom he chatted.
"He was heavily involved in BDSM and targeted submissive women but he didn't care if the woman was 40 or 14," Pfluger told Conley.
Zwicker began a dialogue with 14-year-old Georgia girl, sending her photos of his genitals and asking her to travel to Wisconsin so they could have sex, Pfluger said. When the girl informed Zwicker she was only 14 and could not get an airline ticket, Zwicker said he could do it for her as he had done it for another girl two years ago.
When the teen ran away in June 2014, her mother logged onto her daughter's Skype account and learned her daughter had been having sexual conversations with Zwicker.
The teen's mother contacted Monroe police, who contacted Zwicker and obtained a confession. Between 10 and 150 sexually explicit photos of minors were recovered from Zwicker's computer.
Zwicker had no "hands-on" contact with any teen stemming from his online conversations, said Conley.
Instead of going to Monroe, the Georgia teen was lured
to Florida through similar online conversations, said Pfluger.
Conley received six letters of support from friends and family of Zwicker in which he was portrayed as an "honest ... genuine ... and hardworking" individual.
Lon Knoedler, a Wisconsin Ducks Unlimited official from Kenosha, choked up with emotion in describing Zwicker's unselfishness saying, "He would give his life to save others."
Zwicker's daughters, Amy and Angie, said their father had set a good example for them, raised them well and gave his time to them and others in the community.
"A lifetime of good choices should show that this (offense) is a mistake," Amy Zwicker said.
Joseph Bugni, Zwicker's attorney, read Zwicker's written statement as his client was too emotional to do so.
"It's hard to figure how I got in this but I hope I my actions haven't caused harm to the two young people I chatted with," Zwicker wrote.
Bugni asked Conley for a three-year sentence citing Zwicker's advanced age, congestive heart condition and unlikelihood of his re-offending.
Conley said he needed to balance the positive contributions Zwicker has made to the community against the seriousness of the offense.
While Zwicker had no sexual contact with the teen despite it being his goal to "follow him down the rabbit hole of this addiction," Conley said.
While the four-year sentence was more than what Zwicker's attorney sought, it was less than the advisory guideline range which call for up to a 6.5-year sentence.
Had it not been for his age and health issues, Zwicker would have been given a longer sentence, Conley said.
Conley ordered Zwicker to report to prison on Feb. 15 at an institution close to family which is appropriate for his age and health conditions.
Thomas Zwicker, 68, has run a woodworking business in Monroe for 40 years and was a Wisconsin Ducks Unlimited State Council chairman but turned to the Internet after withdrawing from close relationships, said District Judge William Conley.
"This case illustrates the insidious and malignant nature of child pornography which can lead to an addiction fueled by Internet access," Conley told Zwicker and about 20 people attending his sentencing hearing.
Zwicker spent several years generating thousands of sexually-charged chatroom conversations in which he often assumed the dominant role in a master-slave online sexual relationship. He would not have run afoul of the law had he confined the chats to adults, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger.
Instead, his was indiscriminate with whom he chatted.
"He was heavily involved in BDSM and targeted submissive women but he didn't care if the woman was 40 or 14," Pfluger told Conley.
Zwicker began a dialogue with 14-year-old Georgia girl, sending her photos of his genitals and asking her to travel to Wisconsin so they could have sex, Pfluger said. When the girl informed Zwicker she was only 14 and could not get an airline ticket, Zwicker said he could do it for her as he had done it for another girl two years ago.
When the teen ran away in June 2014, her mother logged onto her daughter's Skype account and learned her daughter had been having sexual conversations with Zwicker.
The teen's mother contacted Monroe police, who contacted Zwicker and obtained a confession. Between 10 and 150 sexually explicit photos of minors were recovered from Zwicker's computer.
Zwicker had no "hands-on" contact with any teen stemming from his online conversations, said Conley.
Instead of going to Monroe, the Georgia teen was lured
to Florida through similar online conversations, said Pfluger.
Conley received six letters of support from friends and family of Zwicker in which he was portrayed as an "honest ... genuine ... and hardworking" individual.
Lon Knoedler, a Wisconsin Ducks Unlimited official from Kenosha, choked up with emotion in describing Zwicker's unselfishness saying, "He would give his life to save others."
Zwicker's daughters, Amy and Angie, said their father had set a good example for them, raised them well and gave his time to them and others in the community.
"A lifetime of good choices should show that this (offense) is a mistake," Amy Zwicker said.
Joseph Bugni, Zwicker's attorney, read Zwicker's written statement as his client was too emotional to do so.
"It's hard to figure how I got in this but I hope I my actions haven't caused harm to the two young people I chatted with," Zwicker wrote.
Bugni asked Conley for a three-year sentence citing Zwicker's advanced age, congestive heart condition and unlikelihood of his re-offending.
Conley said he needed to balance the positive contributions Zwicker has made to the community against the seriousness of the offense.
While Zwicker had no sexual contact with the teen despite it being his goal to "follow him down the rabbit hole of this addiction," Conley said.
While the four-year sentence was more than what Zwicker's attorney sought, it was less than the advisory guideline range which call for up to a 6.5-year sentence.
Had it not been for his age and health issues, Zwicker would have been given a longer sentence, Conley said.
Conley ordered Zwicker to report to prison on Feb. 15 at an institution close to family which is appropriate for his age and health conditions.