David Berry, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Illinois 2021

Peoria, IL – In a disturbing case of child exploitation, David Berry, a 35-year-old Savoy man, has been sentenced to 15 years in the Bureau of Prisons for his role in the sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to court records, Berry, who resides in the 800 block of Hartwell, brought a minor to his home in October 2021, where he sexually assaulted her and recorded the acts on video.

The evidence presented in court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office was enough to convince U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mihm that Berry was responsible for the trauma caused to the minor.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Mihm ordered Berry to pay $6,140 in restitution to the victim.

Berry was also ordered to register as a sex offender and serve five years of supervised release after his prison term.

Berry was first indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in February 2022.

He pleaded guilty to the charges in September 2023.

The statutory penalties for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor are 15 to 30 years in prison, and 5 years to life term of supervised release.

The investigation into Berry’s crimes was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, the Urbana Police Department, and the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon O’Brien, who is also the Deputy Bureau Chief in the High Tech Crimes Bureau for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, represented the government in the prosecution.

Berry’s sentence is a welcome development in the ongoing effort to combat child exploitation in Illinois.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a initiative 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.

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