Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 12, 2025, a federal indictment was unsealed alleging that Michael J. Kornely (age: 75) of Francis Creek, Wisconsin, transported two separate minor victims across state lines with the “intent to engage in criminal sexual activity,” in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(a), in the years 2005 and 2006.
Kornely is further alleged to have used a computer to attempt to “persuade, induce, and entice” a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b). That crime is alleged to have occurred in March of 2024.
If convicted of any of the three charges alleged in the indictment, Kornely faces a mandatory 10 years’ imprisonment and up to a lifetime of incarceration. He may also be fined up to $250,000 and would be required to register as a sexual offender under state and federal law.
This case was investigated by the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Two Rivers Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble and Timothy W. Funnell.
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.
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.
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