Jury Convicts Former WI Veterans Board Chair Of Possessing Child Porn

MILWAUKEE, WI — A former member of two Franklin committees and the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs was found guilty on Thursday of three charges of possessing child pornography, according to online court records.

Curtis L. Schmitt Jr, 39, who has since moved from Franklin to Greenfield, was charged in January 2022 in Milwaukee County. Charges arose as he was nearing the end of an appointment to Franklin's finance committee, the city's website said at the time.

An initial criminal complaint said a tip came in from a file hosting service about an account linked to Schmitt. Investigators found three files consistent with child pornography on the account, the complaint said.

When confronted by investigators, Schmitt said he sometimes downloaded child pornography from Snapchat but uploaded it to a file hosting account to report it, according to the initial criminal complaint.

Shortly after Schmitt was removed from his volunteer appointments in Franklin in February 2022, he entered a not guilty plea. By March 2022, the veteran's board website showed the District 1 seat as vacant, and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Schmitt resigned from the seat.

Related:

Franklin Man Facing Possession Of Child Pornography Charges

Man Accused Of Saving Child Pornography To Be Removed From Boards

By Tuesday, a jury panel was assembled and sent to trial with closing arguments heard by Wednesday afternoon, according to online court records.

The jury went to deliberations around 2 p.m. Wednesday and was excused by 5 p.m., then returned about 10 a.m. Thursday to deliver their guilty verdict, online court records said.

The court scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 14, online records said.

Related:

Franklin Man Accused Of Possessing Child Porn Pleads Not Guilty

Accused Of Possessing Child Porn, WI Veterans Board Chair Resigns