Zachary Vogt (Brown Co. Jail)
(WTAQ-WLUK) — A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for traveling to Oshkosh and recording himself sexually abusing a child.
Prosecutors say Zachary J. Vogt, 20, of West Chester Pennsylvania, began corresponding online with a minor in Oshkosh in October of 2024. The exchanges between the two quickly became sexual in nature. The child’s parents discovered the online activity and warned the child and Vogt that all interaction must cease.
Vogt ignored that warning and in June 2025, despite knowing that the child was underage, Vogt travelled from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin to engage in sexual activity with the child.
Vogt sexually abused the child and recorded the abuse on his cellular phone.
Law enforcement subsequently recovered the images, and Vogt was arrested.
In determining his sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Byron B. Conway noted the incredibly serious nature of the offense and highlighted that the defendant had been warned to cease contact with the child. Judge Conway cited strong need to deter others from enticing children online and found a need to protect the public from online sexual predators like Vogt. Following the defendant’s release from federal prison, he will spend 15 years on supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sexual offender under state and federal law.
“This defendant is clearly a sick and dangerous individual,” said U.S. Attorney Schimel. “He was given the chance to terminate his online sexually explicit activity with the child but ignored that warning and escalated his criminal conduct by crossing multiple states to sexually exploit the child. The only way to keep the community safe from him is to lock him up. The law enforcement community has no higher priority than to protect our kids, and if you harm them, we are coming for you.”
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