EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced Jonathan C. Villmer, Jr., 26, to 10 years in federal prison for soliciting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from minors on Snapchat.
Villmer, a former first-grade teacher at New Baden Elementary School and coach of girls and boys’ junior high sports teams, was charged by criminal complaint in August 2023. He will be required to register as a sex offender and serve an additional 7 years on supervised release upon his release from prison.
“As a teacher and coach, the defendant was entrusted to educate and mentor youth, yet instead he preyed on and exploited his young victims’ vulnerabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “His predatory behaviors expressed a complete disregard for protecting children but rather abusing them. I’m thankful to the law enforcement agencies who worked to put this dangerous offender in federal prison.”
The case was initiated by an unrelated investigation by the Carmi Police Department regarding the distribution of CSAM. The investigation led law enforcement officers to a Snapchat account soliciting sexually explicit images and videos from minors that was connected to Villmer.
According to court documents, police discovered explicit conversations with a 13-year-old minor, in which Villmer asked for the “sexiest images,” discussed having sex and taking the minor’s virginity, offered the minor marijuana, and requested photographs of her genitals. Law enforcement identified other occurrences of sexually explicit conversations and requests for images with other minors within Villmer’s Snapchat account.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with support from the New Baden and Carmi Police Departments, and the Jefferson County and Clinton County Sheriffs’ Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns prosecuted the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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