Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul obtained a guilty plea in a case against a Mt. Carmel, Illinois man Raoul’s office prosecuted for disseminating child sexual abuse material. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online.
The Attorney General’s office prosecuted Sean Willis, 29, who pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of Class X dissemination of child pornography. Hardin County Resident Judge Tara Wallace sentenced Willis to 28 years in prison.
“This sentence will help protect other children from the trauma of sexual exploitation and abuse,” Raoul said. “I will continue to collaborate with all levels of law enforcement to protect our children and communities from offenders who seek to exploit minors online.”
Raoul’s office prosecuted the case with the Wabash County State’s Attorney’s office.
Raoul’s office, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force that investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. The task force receives CyberTips, or online reports of child sexual assault materials, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2023, reports to the ICAC increased by 46% over 2022.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 210 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 50,600 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 800 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 2,200 arrests of sexual predators. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students and law enforcement professionals.
Attorney General Raoul is reminding the public that child sexual exploitation can be reported online at cybertipline.com and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. In addition, local child advocacy centers can be found at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
Deputy Bureau Chief Shannon O’Brien prosecuted the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
