KENOSHA, Wis. — A 40-year-old Kenosha man accused of possessing multiple explicit videos of children made his initial court appearance Friday on ten felony counts of possession of child pornography.

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James Louis Frangelo appeared in Kenosha County Circuit Court on May 2, where Kenosha County District Attorney Xavier Solis asked Court Commissioner William Michel II to set bail at $150,000 cash, citing the seriousness of the allegations. Michel ultimately set bail at $100,000 cash. Frangelo remains in custody.

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Frangelo is charged with ten counts of possession of child pornography, each a Class D felony. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 250 years in prison and $1 million in fines. State law also mandates a minimum of three years of initial confinement on each count due to the nature of the offense.

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The criminal complaint alleges that in July 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Frangelo’s home after an FBI agent traced the sharing of suspected child sexual abuse material to an IP address associated with the residence. During a forensic review of a desktop computer found in Frangelo’s bedroom, law enforcement reportedly discovered at least 36 videos believed to depict graphic and illegal content involving children.

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Some of the files had been deleted but were recovered by law enforcement. According to the complaint, metadata from the device suggested multiple dates of access and manipulation, which the state argues indicates deliberate conduct.

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Frangelo denied any knowledge of the videos during an interview with police and claimed he had never used the software identified by investigators. However, the complaint states that only his devices contained the material and no other household member had access to them.

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He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 8.

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