Registered sex offender charged with coercing porn from girl, 7

If convicted, he faces a 20-year maximum

A 64-year-old Wisconsin resident is facing federal child pornography charges in the Bay Area after he allegedly coerced a 7-year-old to send him nude photos of herself, court records show.

Darryl Badzinski of Milwaukee is charged with receiving child pornography, a federal offense that carries up to 20 years in federal prison and a lifetime supervised release. Prosecutors say that in 2018, when the alleged offenses occurred, Badzinski was a registered sex offender because of a conviction related to a 2009 sexual assault of a child in Wisconsin.

The criminal complaint alleges that Badzinski used the Tango smartphone messaging app to reach out to the 7-year-old girl, asking for nude photos and describing various acts of molestation he “wished” he could do to her. In some of the messages, he called her, “beautiful,” told her, “I love you” and referred to her as “honey buns,” prosecutors allege.

In addition, Badzinski allegedly sent the girl sexually explicit images, as well as fully nude pictures where his face could be seen, prosecutors allege. When interviewed by authorities, Badzinski admitted to sending pictures of himself to other children on Tango, federal prosecutors in Wisconsin argued after Badzinski’s arrest there last year.

The charges initially were filed last May. In July, a federal judge in Wisconsin allowed Badzinski to be released on home detention. His case was finally transferred to the Bay Area earlier this month. Badzinski entered a not-guilty plea at an arraignment hearing last week, court records show.