October 12, 2020 at 10:26 a.m.
Osterman bound over for trial in child trafficking case
Osterman bound over for trial in child trafficking case
By By River NEws staff-
According to online court records, Oneida County detective sergeant Chad Wanta was the sole witness in Paul Osterman's preliminary hearing on Oct. 7. After hearing from Wanta, Marathon County Circuit Judge Suzanne C. O'Neill found probable cause that a felony had been committed and that the defendant committed it.
Osterman was represented by attorney David Casey who was retained after an indigency hearing Sept. 28 where the court denied a request for appointment of counsel, court records state.
he was arrested Sept. 21 following a two-year investigation involving several law enforcement agencies. The next day prosecutors charged him with a single felony count of trafficking a child. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
According to the complaint, the investigation began after law enforcement received tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding messages that were being intercepted on the internet from a person willing to pay to have sexual contact with a young female.
According to state statutes, "whoever knowingly recruits, entices, provides, obtains, harbors, transports, patronizes, or solicits or knowingly attempts to recruit, entice, provide, obtain, harbor, transport, patronize, or solicit any child for the purpose of commercial sex acts" is guilty of trafficking of a child.
The complaint includes summaries of conversations between users of a social media application where one of the users stated they would pay cash to have sexual contact with "as young a girl" as could be arranged.
Osterman is being held on $50,000 cash bail.
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