Update: A Wisconsin jury found Rittenhouse not guilty of all charges on Nov. 19, 2021. Read our story on the verdict here. Read all of our Rittenhouse exclusives here.
Newly released Joseph Rosenbaum sex offender documents obtained by Wisconsin Right Now from the Pima County (Arizona) Clerk of Courts confirm Joseph Rosenbaum was charged by a grand jury with 11 counts of child molestation and inappropriate sexual activity around children, including anal rape. The victims were five boys ranging in age from nine to 11 years old.
Wisconsin Right Now has obtained Rosenbaum’s entire file regarding the case, however due to victim privacy and legal issues, we are choosing to only show the criminal complaint at this time. We redacted the names of the victims.
“No contact with minors under the age of 18 without permission from the Court,” the Arizona court records say.
(Wisconsin’s largest newspaper, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, argued that readers shouldn’t get to know Rosenbaum’s criminal record. Read our column explaining why they’re wrong here.)
These are the offenses that landed Rosenbaum, 36, on the Wisconsin sex offender registry. Rosenbaum is the man who, video shows, chased Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, before Rittenhouse shot him to death in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse is charged with homicide in the deaths of Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber. He’s also criminally charged in the shooting injury to Gaige Grosskreutz. Rittenhouse’s lawyers maintain that the Illinois teenager’s actions were self defense; they say he was attacked by a vicious mob that included Rosenbaum.
Because of the self defense accusations, Wisconsin Right Now has made the decision to tell readers about the criminal histories of the men who were shot. All three have criminal histories (read our previous story on that here). Rosenbaum’s is arguably the most relevant because, video and eyewitnesses show, he was the instigator that night. He was seen acting aggressively and using a racial slur in a gas station parking lot and pushing a burning dumpster (a witness and video show Rittenhouse used a fire extinguisher to help put it out). The criminal complaint against Rittenhouse says Rosenbaum threw a plastic bag and tried to grab the teenager’s gun.
What was Rosenbaum’s criminal history? He had an open Wisconsin case for misdemeanor bail jumping that was filed on July 30, 2020. Rosenbaum also had open misdemeanor cases for battery (domestic abuse) and disorderly conduct (domestic abuse).
Joseph Rosenbaum Sex Offender
He was on the Wisconsin sex offender registry for an Arizona offense (he no longer appears on it because he’s deceased). That’s the child molestation case.
The 11 charges were amended in a plea deal, and Rosenbaum was convicted of amended counts. According to online court records, Rosenbaum was sentenced to 10 years on Dec. 12, 2002 for sexual contact of a minor, and then sentenced to 2 years, 6 months for sexual contact of a minor related to the same 2002 incident.
Rosenbaum was convicted on Aug 8, 2016 for interfering with a monitoring device.
He was put on lifetime probation on Dec. 16, 2002.
However, The court was asked to revoke his program after he was accused of consuming synthetic cannabinoid and alcohol, failing to participate in sex offender treatment, and having accessed sexually oriented materials deemed inappropriate by the probation officer.
Joseph Rosenbaum, Sex offender [CRIMINAL COMPLAINT]
The 11 counts include:
COUNT ONE: (PUBLIC SEXUAL INDECENCY TO A MINOR UNDER FIFTEEN, A CLASS FIVE FELONY)
On or about the month of February, 2002 through the 27th day of March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM committed public sexual indecency to a minor by intentionally or knowingly committing an act of sexual contact by masturbating, while (name removed) a minor under fifteen years of age was present.
COUNT TWO: (SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH A MINOR UNDER FIFTEEN, A CLASS TWO FELONY, A DANGEROUS CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN)
On or about the 27th day of March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM committed sexual conduct with a minor, by intentionally or knowingly engaging in an act of sexual intercourse with (second victim), a minor under the age of fifteen years, by penetrating the victim’s anus with his penis.
COUNT THREE: (FURNISHING OBSCENE OR HARMFUL ITEMS TO MINORS, A CLASS FOUR FELONY)
On or about the 27th day of March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM, with knowledge of the character of the item involved, recklessly furnished, presented, provided, made available, gave, lent, showed, advertised, distributed an item harmful to minors, to (second victim), a minor under eighteen years of age, to Wit: photographs of nude women including their genitals.
COUNT FOUR: (PUBLIC SEXUAL INDECENCY TO A MINOR UNDER FIFTEEN, A CLASS FIVE Felony)
On or about the 27th day at March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM committed public sexual indecency to a minor by intentionally or knowingly committing an act of sexual contact by masturbating, while (second victim), a minor under fifteen years of age was present.
COUNT FIVE: (SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH A MINOR UNDER FIFTEEN, A CLASS TWO FELONY, A DANGEROUS CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN)
On or about the 27th day of March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM committed sexual conduct with a minor, by intentionally or knowingly engaging in an act of sexual intercourse with (third victim), a minor under the age of fifteen years, by penetrating the victim’s anus with his penis.
COURT SIX: (SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH A MINOR UNDER FIFTEEN, A CLASS TWO FELONY, A DANGEROUS CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN)
On or about the 27th day of March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM committed sexual conduct with a minor, by intentionally or knowingly engaging in an act of oral sexual contact with (fourth victim), a minor under the age of fifteen years, by inserting his penis into the victim’s mouth.
COUNT SEVEN: (SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH A MINOR UNDER FIFTEEN, A CLASS TWO FELONY, A DANGEROUS CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN)
On or about the 27th day of March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM committed sexual conduct with a minor, by intentionally or knowingly engaging in an act of oral sexual contact with (fourth victim), a minor under the age of fifteen years, by placing his mouth on the victim’s penis.
COUNT EIGHT: (MOLESTATION OF CHILD, A CLASS TWO FELONY, A DANGEROUS CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN)
On or about the 27th day of March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM committed molestation of a child by intentionally or knowingly engaging in sexual contact with (fourth victim), a child under the age of fifteen years, involving the genitals, by touching the victim’s penis with his hand.
COUNT NINE: (MOLESTATION OF CHILD, A CLASS TWO FELONY, A DANGEROUS CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN)
On or about the 27th day of March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM committed molestation of a child, by intentionally or knowingly engaging in sexual contact with (fourth victim), a child under the age of fifteen years, involving the genitals, by causing the victim to touch his penis.
COUNT TEN: (MOLESTATION OF CHILD, A CLASS TWO FELONY, A DANGEROUS CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN)
On or about the month of March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM committed molestation of a child, by intentionally or knowingly engaging in sexual contact with (fifth victim), a child under fifteen years of age, involving the genitals, by touching the victim’s penis with his finger.
COUNT ELEVEN: (INDECENT EXPOSURE TO A MINOR UNDER FIFTEEN, A CLASS SIX FELONY)
On or about the month of March, 2002, JOSEPH DON ROSENBAUM indecently exposed his genitals to (fifth victim), a minor under the age of fifteen years, by showing the victim his penis.
The court documents say that Rosenbaum had worked in the fast food industry but was unemployed for three years. He had a ninth grade education and was from Waco, Texas.
He entered a plea agreement to amended counts of sexual conduct with a minor in the second degree, a preparatory dangerous crime against children. The other charges were then dismissed but sex offender registration was required.
Rosenbaum’s Arizona prison disciplinary report show a total of 40 infractions.
We asked the Wisconsin Department of Corrections if they had a Joseph Rosenbaum on the registry before and they said yes, and they were notified he’s now deceased. That’s why he no longer appears on the registry. See their response to us here:
A screenshot shows Rosenbaum was on the registry for the Arizona sex offense.
The Kenosha County District Attorney has charged Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, with first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of Anthony M. Huber; with first-degree reckless homicide in the shooting death of Joseph Rosenbaum, Arizona, and with attempted first-degree intentional homicide for wounding Gaige Grosskreutz. Read the criminal complaint here. Rittenhouse’s attorney says he acted in self defense when attacked by what the lawyer called a vicious mob. You can read the lawyer’s statement here. Rosenbaum is seen on video chasing Rittenhouse and throwing a plastic bag at him right before Rittenhouse opens fire. He is also seen acting aggressively at a gas station shortly before.
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