Highland, IL – In a disturbing case of child exploitation, Richard Hogg, 55, of Highland, IL, has pled guilty to distributing, receiving, accessing, and possessing child pornography. The charges were brought against Hogg following an FBI investigation that uncovered a trail of explicit online chats and images of minors.
According to court documents, Hogg engaged in a sexually explicit chat with an individual he believed to be a 16-year-old girl from New York. The investigation revealed that Hogg had been viewing pornography since 2007 and gradually shifted his focus to younger females. He estimated that he had approximately 1,000 images and four videos of child pornography on his computers.
A forensic review of Hogg’s devices revealed a staggering 1,206 image and 54 video files of child pornography, including many images of prepubescent children. The review also showed that Hogg distributed and received child pornography files via the Internet and attempted to access an image of child pornography on November 20, 2014.
Hogg faces a term in federal prison of not less than five years but not more than twenty years on Counts 1 through 3, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of five years to life. On Count 4, he faces a term in prison of not more than ten years, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of five years to life. On Count 5, he faces a term in prison of not more than twenty years, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of five years to life.
Hogg was ordered detained immediately after his plea hearing ended. His sentencing date is April 29, 2016, in East St. Louis, Illinois. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Springfield Child Exploitation Task Force. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney James L. Porter.
This disturbing case highlights the need for continued efforts to combat child exploitation and abuse. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the government is working to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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