PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria County man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography, according to a recent investigation.
Richard L. Sills, 61, of Mapleton, Ill., was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography, a crime he admitted to committing since the 1990s. U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm also ordered that Sills remain on supervised release for 10 years following his release from incarceration and register as a sex offender.
Sills has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest on Oct. 5, 2016. He had pleaded guilty to the offenses on Jan. 27, 2017. The investigation began when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations learned that a computer located within Sills’ residence was using a peer-to-peer file sharing program to download files containing child pornography.
HSI special agents obtained and executed a search warrant for Sills’ residence on Oct. 5, 2016. During the search, Sills agreed to be interviewed and admitted that he accessed child pornography with the computer in his home using a peer-to-peer file sharing program. A forensic examination of the seized items revealed the presence of 1,322 images and 73 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald L. Hanna and Katherine G. Legge. 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. 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.
According to the official investigation, Sills’ actions were a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of children. His 20-year prison sentence and 10-year supervised release are a fitting penalty for his crimes.
Defendant: Richard L. Sills, exact criminal charges: receiving and possessing child pornography, City and State: Peoria, Illinois, EXACT DATE with month/day/year: October 5, 2016 (arrest), January 27, 2017 (guilty plea), Sentence or outcome: 20 years (240 months) in federal prison, 10 years supervised release, Dollar amounts where applicable: none.
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Sex CrimesSex CrimesSex CrimesSex Crimes