Eric Canchola, 27, of Creston, Illinois, pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of transporting and possessing child pornography, admitting he shared and stored hundreds of illicit images of minors on digital devices.
The guilty plea, entered before U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard in Rockford, stems from two key incidents in 2018. On March 21, Canchola used a computer to transmit a video file via the KIK chat application, depicting a prepubescent female child engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to a written plea agreement.
Just weeks later, on May 8, 2018, law enforcement discovered Canchola was in possession of two iPods, a desktop computer, and two portable hard drives, each containing more than 600 images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The evidence was uncovered during a coordinated investigation involving multiple agencies.
The case was jointly announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office. The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office provided critical investigative support.
Canchola now faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for transportation of child pornography, and up to 20 additional years for possession. The charges carry no parole in the federal system.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 11, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. before Judge Reinhard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Love is prosecuting the case. The court will determine the final sentence in accordance with federal guidelines.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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