In early September, Illinois State Police, assisted by the Illinois Attorney General's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force; and the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, arrested six men for internet crimes against children, including possession and dissemination of child sexual abuse materials – child pornography – all felony counts.

The six accused men range in age from 20 to 37 and live in Springfield, Illinois.

WICS/WCCU "ISP arrest 6 central Illinois men for over 60 child sexual abuse material charges" https://newschannel20.com/news/local/isp-arrest-6-central-illinois-men-for-over-60-child-sexual-abuse-material-charges (Sep. 20, 2024).

Commentary and Checklist

According to the U.S. Justice Department, child pornography is a form of child sexual abuse. Images are also referred to as child sexual abuse material or CSAM.

The Justice Department has a website entitled "Citizen's Guide To U.S. Federal Law On Child Pornography" which explains the elements of the crime. https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-ceos/citizens-guide-us-federal-law-child-pornography

In addition, many states have laws against the making, distributing, selling, or possessing of CSAM. https://www.findlaw.com/state/criminal-laws/child-pornography.html

Those who view or distribute child pornography often belong to a group or child pornography-sharing ring, which becomes the target of task force operations to stop the crime, as in this case.

If you see child pornography, what should you do?

• "To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt, or production of child pornography,  file a report on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)'s website at www.cybertipline.com or call 1-800-843-5678. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action.
• If you have an emergency that requires an immediate law enforcement response, please call 911 or contact your local Police Department or Sheriff's Department." doj.gov
• You do not have to be correct, but you should report your reasonable suspicions.
• Failure to report or attempting to delete or cover it up – could result criminal charges if the CSAM is on your home computer, tablet, phone or any other technology.