Former Madison Teacher Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that David C. Fawcett, 59, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 18 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. The prison term will be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Fawcett was also ordered to pay $35,000 into victim restitution funds. He pleaded guilty to the charge on July 20, 2026.

Between June and August 2025, Fawcett communicated with Minor A and regularly asked her to send him explicit images. He would tell her what the images should depict and she would comply. After she sent one explicit image, he responded that he wanted to have sex with her but that it would be "high-key illegal."

As the government pointed out at sentencing, the full extent of Fawcett's conduct will never be known because when the Madison Police Department Swat Team executed a warrant at Fawcett's home, he placed a tablet and a cell phone in the microwave, destroying any additional evidence.

In sentencing Fawcett above the mandatory minimum, Judge Conley noted that Fawcett took advantage of a troubled girl and pretended to be a caring adult. Judge Conley further stated that as a long-time teacher, Fawcett knew the effects his conduct would have on minors. Fawcett formerly taught at an elementary school in Madison.

The charge against Fawcett was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department, the FBI, and the Collins County Sheriff's Office Child Crimes Task Force in Texas. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.

This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.