Dan R. Waeckerle, Jr., Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Illinois 2024

Convicted Child Predator Sentenced to 40+ Years in Federal Prison

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – In a drastic measure to protect children from predators, a federal district judge sentenced Dan R. Waeckerle, Jr., 45, of Swansea, to spend 485 months in prison after a jury convicted him of sexually exploiting a minor.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois, in January, a jury found Waeckerle guilty of soliciting an obscene visual depiction of a minor, transferring obscene matter to a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, and offense by a registered sex offender. The judge also ordered Waeckerle to serve a lifetime of supervised release and pay a $1,000 fine.

“Child predators like Waeckerle leave their victims with lasting trauma, and this significant prison sentence sends a strong message to abusers,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to protect children from offenders. I commend the O’Fallon Police Department for their investigation which ultimately placed Waeckerle behind bars.”

According to court documents, Waeckerle had sexually explicit conversations with a 15-year-old minor via text message in July 2021. Evidence presented during the trial revealed Waeckerle sent the minor a genital image, requested sexually explicit images and videos from the minor, and discussed meeting the minor for sex.

Waeckerle was previously convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a minor in Hamilton County, Illinois, in 2010. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service Central and Southern Illinois Financial and Cyber Crimes Task Force, with members from the O’Fallon Police Department leading the investigation. Additional support was provided by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Swansea Police Department, and the Illinois State Police.

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.

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