MADISON -- A Superior man pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to possessing child pornography several months after local authorities searched his residence and recovered a digital video disc containing numerous images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Superior Police Detective Thomas Champaigne found nine computers, a hard drive, thumb drives, floppy discs and DVDs when searching Timothy D. Urbanski's Bayview Courts residence on July 26, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman. Images on a DVD recovered from the residence contained images of children engaged in sex acts which Altman detailed for the court.
Altman later declined to specify why authorities suspected Urbanski of wrongdoing and were able to obtain a search warrant.
Lake Superior Forensic Technology and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force members launched the investigation after they were notified by the family of a 7-year-old girl that they had found what appeared to be child pornography on a phone given to the child in a public park in July.
Investigators executed a search warrant on the phone and Sgt. Nick Alexander, task force commander, discovered seven videos on the phone's internal memory that contained images of suspected child pornography. A warrant was subsequently executed at his home.
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Urbanski, 48, didn't dispute Altman's statements.
"Basically, I had (the DVD) in my possession at the time (of the search)," he told Crabb.
At his July 19 sentencing, Urbanski faces maximum statutory penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, lifetime supervision, and if deemed appropriate, and restitution to victims. His actual sentence will be determined from advisory guidelines which have less severe penalties and factor in the seriousness of the offense, Urbanski's role in the offense, the number of images in the case, any qualifying prior convictions and his guilty plea.
In exchange for his plea, the government will recommend Urbanski receive a lesser sentence for his cooperation and acceptable of responsibility.
His trial date had been set for June 4.
Urbanski also agreed to forfeits his computer equipment that was involved in the offense.
Urbanski was charged in Douglas County Circuit Court in July with multiple counts of possessing child pornography. He was indicted in federal court in January for child exploitation. He has been in custody since his arrest in July following the search being executed.
Telegram Editor Shelley Nelson contributed to this report.
