Brian W. Davis, David Delalio Sentenced in Child Exploitation Ring

Brian W. Davis, 51, of Farmer City, Illinois, and David Delalio, 38, of Longmont, Colorado, were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a global child exploitation enterprise that operated in the dark corners of the internet. Davis received 360 months in prison for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise and two counts of production of child pornography, while Delalio was sentenced to 210 months for the same core charge. Both will face lifetime and 15-year supervised release terms, respectively.

The sentences, handed down by U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce in the Central District of Illinois, mark a critical blow against a highly organized network that used the Tor anonymity network to evade law enforcement. Davis, who has been in U.S. Marshals custody since October 8, 2014, pleaded guilty on July 15, 2015. Delalio entered his guilty plea five days later. The judge also ordered Davis to pay $164,000 in restitution and a $55,000 fine.

The enterprise operated through a members-only website on the Tor network, hosting nearly 30,000 users by mid-2014. Membership required users to upload child pornography, including active producers who were sexually abusing minors. The site’s administrators, including Davis and Delalio, used advanced encryption and hidden services to shield their identities and obstruct investigations.

Davis co-administered an exclusive ‘Producers’ section of the forum, where he acted as a gatekeeper and actively guided members on how to sexually abuse children and produce new material. His own contributions fixated on infants and toddlers. Shockingly, Davis used his position at a Champaign County child care facility to sexually assault minors entrusted to his care, producing child pornography in the process.

‘Child predators seek out online forums on anonymous networks, like the one that Davis and Delalio operated, so that they can commit vile crimes without getting caught,’ said Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell. ‘But the sentencing of the leaders of this forum—along with the recent sentencings of three of their co-defendants—should give other online predators pause.’

U.S. Attorney James A. Lewis emphasized the moral imperative: ‘We must protect our children, if we wish to have a decent society. So we must investigate and prosecute those who use our children for sexual enjoyment, and those who facilitate this abuse.’ The case was investigated by the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois, Division, and prosecuted as part of a broader crackdown on dark web exploitation rings.