Racine - By the time Mayor Gary Becker engaged in a 2 1/2 -hour online chat Monday night with "Hope_Ulikeme14," he already had participated in several salacious virtual conversations with girls and collected child pornography, according to a five-felony criminal complaint filed against him Thursday.

Even so, Becker, 51, a married father of two daughters, worried about meeting someone who he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

"We better chat more, this is too dangerous," Becker told an undercover agent on the phone Tuesday afternoon, the complaint says.

He even asked "Hope" if she was a "cop."

But about an hour later, Becker, seemingly well-positioned to continue his six-year tenure as mayor for years to come, arrived at the agreed-upon meeting place: the food court at Brookfield Square mall, the complaint says.

After an agent of the state Division of Criminal Investigation showed him a transcript of Monday's chat, Becker admitted to being the "m reed" who participated in the conversation and was arrested, according to the complaint.

The five felonies plus a misdemeanor - believed to be the first charges filed by the division's 10-year-old Internet Crimes Task Force against an elected official - include attempted sexual assault of a child, child enticement and possession of child pornography.

The most serious count carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, although some defendants convicted in Internet stings have been sentenced to probation and short terms in jail.

Becker, wearing a City of Racine coat, made no statement during a brief initial appearance Thursday in Racine County Circuit Court.

Free on bail, he is expected to enter pleas to the charges, filed by Republican Racine County District Attorney Michael Nieskes, on Feb. 10.

Becker has not been removed from office - an alderman is serving as acting mayor - but his political future appears in jeopardy.

Gerald Greenfield, former chairman of the Racine County Democratic Party, said Becker succeeded in the non-partisan office of mayor because, while an ardent Democrat, he could work well with political opponents such as Republican members of the state Legislature.

"It's just tragic for the whole family to live with from now on," Greenfield said.

According to the criminal complaint:

On Dec. 23, Becker brought a personal computer to City Hall and asked a city computer technician to fix a problem with it. The technician found what appeared to be images of child pornography and alerted Racine police.

Racine police referred the case to the state Internet crimes task force, which later learned that Becker had also asked a city technician to fix another computer of his in August 2007. That computer also contained pornographic images.

The state investigators also found more than 1,800 online chat sessions, in which people exchange written messages using computers. Some of the conversations included communications with underage females "for the purpose of sexual activity."

Becker described himself online as a Wisconsin man whose interests included "seducing all age females into being hot sluts."

The investigator posing as the 14-year-old girl who engaged in an online chat with Becker on Monday also sent Becker a photograph of a former intern from the office of the Division of Criminal Investigation from when she was about 14.

Becker expressed a desire to have sexual activity, including oral sex, with who he believed was the girl.

Becker also agreed to meet at the mall, saying from his home in the chat, "It will be hard to keep my hands off u in public" and "I would luv to get a hotel room and have lots of fun with u."

After his arrest, Becker spent Tuesday night in jail. He was released Wednesday night after a family member posted $165,000 bail.

Becker and his lawyer, Pat Cafferty of Racine, refused to comment after the court hearing on whether Becker would resign from his mayoral job.