MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Adam Gurney, 30, Janesville, Wisconsin, was sentenced earlier this month by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 5 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography. The prison term will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Judge Conley also ordered Gurney to pay a $5,000 assessment. Gurney pleaded guilty to this crime on February 17, 2026.
In June 2025, Gurney met via Discord a 17-year-old female who lived in North Carolina. After learning she was a minor, Gurney travelled to North Carolina twice to engage in sex with her. After his second trip, Gurney brought the minor back to Janesville with him. Gurney told others online that he was grooming the minor. During his contact with the minor, he received pornographic images of her via Discord.
At sentencing, Judge Conley highlighted that Gurney’s online searches showed he knew his conduct was illegal, yet he engaged in the unlawful behavior for his own sexual gratification at the expense of the victim. Judge Conley also rejected Gurney’s suggestion he was “saving” the victim from her home life, responding that Gurney didn’t “save” her from anything and instead took her from one controlling environment to another.
The charge against him is the result of an investigation conducted by the City of Janesville Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (North Carolina), and the Cherokee Police Department (North Carolina). The Rock County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger prosecuted the case.
This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.
