MADISON, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – A Minnesota man was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for traveling to Wisconsin to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
Creighton Mithaugen, 38, of Faribault, Minnesota, received a 97-month sentence from U.S. District Judge William M. Conley. He will also face a lifetime of supervised release after completing his prison term.
From April 2024 through February 2026, Mithaugen chatted with what he believed was a 14 or 15-year-old girl. In reality, he was communicating with an undercover law enforcement agent. On February 13, 2026, Mithaugen drove from his Minnesota residence to a prearranged meeting spot in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, to meet the purported minor to engage in sexual activity. He was arrested at the location.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Conley considered Mithaugen’s history, which included a conviction for sex with a 15-year-old girl in 2007 and credible allegations he touched a 10-year-old girl in 2022. The judge concluded that Mithaugen was a repeat and dangerous sex offender.
Judge Conley found that a lengthy sentence was necessary to protect some of the most vulnerable members of society from Mithaugen’s predatory behavior.
Mithaugen pleaded guilty to the charge on July 13, 2026.
The investigation was conducted by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, the Rhinelander Police Department, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger prosecuted the case.
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