A San Antonio man has been hit with serious charges for his alleged role in the sexual exploitation of a minor in Illinois.
According to a federal indictment, Corbett Eugene Hayes, 40, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor from March 15, 2021, through August 11, 2021, to produce sexually explicit images.
The investigation began when the father of a Central Illinois teen reported that an unknown male was engaging in sexually graphic messages with his daughter through social media platforms and text messages. The unknown male initially posed as a 16-year-old boy but later assumed the role of the fictitious 16-year-old’s uncle in their communications.
FBI investigators later found that Hayes controlled the social media accounts for both identities.
A separate investigation by the FBI Minneapolis field office identified Hayes for trading images of child pornography on a separate platform.
Hayes was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on August 12, 2021, near his home in San Antonio. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.
Hayes is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Bemporad in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas on August 18, 2021, for a detention hearing and identity hearing to determine his transfer to the Central District of Illinois.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois will schedule a date for his appearance in Urbana once he is transported by the U.S. Marshals from Texas.
If convicted, Hayes faces a penalty of no less than 15 years to up to 30 years in prison for the offense of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson is representing the government in the prosecution.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), to marshal federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Related Federal Cases
- Michael Keith Rubino, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, California 2023 · Texas
- Isaac Herrera, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Iowa 2023 · Alabama
- Juan Ordenas-Lucas, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Arkansas 2020 · Texas
- Robbie Newby Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Exploitation of Child… · Texas
- Adrian Scott Warren, Sexual Exploitation of Children, San Antonio TX, 2022 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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