CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul has announced that a Madison County man was charged with possession of child pornography.
James V. Cassady, 45, of Troy, Illinois, was charged in Madison County Circuit Court with 15 counts of possession of child pornography, each a Class 2 felony punishable by three to seven years in prison. Cassady’s bond is set at $500,000. Raoul’s investigators conducted a search of a residence Thursday, July 14 in Troy, IL., on Colonial Acres Road. Cassady was arrested after authorities discovered evidence of child pornography. The case will be jointly prosecuted by Raoul’s office and Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine’s office.
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“The partnership between my office and the Attorney General’s office is helping us make Madison County a safer place to live and work,” Madison County State's Attorney Haine said. “I look forward to continuing our work to identify and prosecute offenders who exploit children in our community.”
The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work to collaborate with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois to apprehend offenders who download and trade child pornography online.
“Possessing child pornography is not a victimless crime. Survivors of exploitation and abuse are re-victimized each time one of these horrific images is downloaded, shared or viewed,” Raoul said. “I am committed to continuing to collaborate with law enforcement at all levels to hold individuals who possess and distribute child pornography accountable.”
The public is reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The arrest is part of Attorney General Raoul’s work to investigate and prosecute child pornographers in Illinois. Raoul’s office, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigates child exploitation crimes, and trains law enforcement agencies. The task force receives CyberTips, or online reports of child pornography, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased; in fact, reports to the ICAC during 2021 increased by 42% over 2020.
In response to increasing reports of online child exploitation, Raoul announced a series of ICAC webinars aimed at giving parents, guardians, and educators tools to help children and teens foster healthy online interactions. The free webinars teach parents and guardians about the social media apps children and teens may be using, how to identify signs that a child may have been a victim of online child solicitation, and more. To find out how to register for upcoming summer webinars or to view recorded webinars visit www.OnlineSafeOnlineSmart.com or email Karilyn.Orr@ilag.gov.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC Task Forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 285 local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, and the task force covers 101 of Illinois’ 102 counties. Since 2019, the Attorney General's ICAC Task Force has received more than 21,500 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 203 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 1,780 arrests of sexual predators. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to more than 953,500 parents, teachers, students, and more than 23,100 law enforcement professionals.
Deputy Bureau Chief Shannon O’Brien is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau. Assistant State’s Attorney Alison Foley is prosecuting the case for the Madison County State’s Attorney’s office.
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