David I. Berry, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Illinois 2021

URBANA, Ill. – A federal grand jury has indicted David I. Berry, a 21-year-old Savoy man, for allegedly sexually exploiting a minor on October 4 and 5, 2021. Berry appeared in federal court in Urbana today in front of Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long for an initial appearance and arraignment, at which the indictment against him was unsealed.

Berry, of the 800 block of Hartwell, was previously arrested and charged by the Champaign County State’s Attorney in October 2021. The case was brought as part of an ongoing, collaborative effort between federal and local law enforcement to address the rise in child exploitation since March 2020.

Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long ordered that Berry remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending a detention hearing on February 15, 2022.

If convicted, the maximum statutory penalties for the alleged crimes charged are no less than 15 years up to 30 years in prison.

The investigation into Berry was a collaborative effort involving U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Champaign County Sherriff’s Office, the Urbana Police Department, and the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Peirson is representing the government in the prosecution.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

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.

Berry is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending a detention hearing on February 15, 2022.

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