Tag: Illinois
Christopher Collins, Production of Obscene Visual Representations of the Sexual Abuse of Children, Illinois 2025
⏱ 2 min read Christopher Collins, a 42-year-old inmate at FCI-Marion prison in Illinois, has been sentenced to an additional 224 months in prison for producing hand-drawn child sexual abuse material. Collins, also known as “Beetlejuice”, pleaded guilty to two counts of Production of Obscene Visual Representations of the Sexual Abuse of Children and one…
James Townsend, Wire Fraud, Illinois 2026
⏱ 2 min read James Townsend, a mastermind behind a $2 million COVID-relief loan scam, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison. The scheme, which unfolded in Chicago, involved Townsend submitting and teaching others to submit false loan applications under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The fraudulent applications, numbering over 100, contained false…
Trent Schneider, Making a True Threat, Illinois 2025
⏱ 2 min read A suburban Chicago man, Trent Schneider, 58, has been sentenced to three years and two months in federal prison for making a true threat to kill multiple public officials, including President Donald J. Trump. On October 21, 2025, Schneider posted a video on Instagram stating that people like judges, doctors, lawyers,…
Peter Stokes, Cyber Conspiracy, Illinois 2023
⏱ 2 min read Peter Stokes, a 19-year-old dual citizen of the US and Estonia, has been extradited from Finland to face federal cyber conspiracy charges in the Northern District of Illinois. Stokes is alleged to be a member of the notorious hacking group Scattered Spider, also known as Octo Tempest, UNC3944, and 0ktapus. The…
David W. Brown, Wire Fraud, Illinois 2025
⏱ 2 min read A brazen scam in Chicago has landed a local man in federal prison for nearly eight years. David W. Brown, 56, orchestrated a massive utility fraud scheme, arranging for free electricity and natural gas services to be provided to over 2,000 properties in the Chicago area from 2017 to 2024. Brown…
Matthew T. Cosey, Methamphetamine Distribution, Illinois 2026
A Peoria man has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking operation. Matthew T. Cosey, 32, was convicted of two counts of distribution of methamphetamine and received concurrent sentences on each count. The evidence presented in court showed that Cosey delivered methamphetamine on two occasions in January…
Yaroslav Vishnevski, Manufacturing Unregistered Firearms, Illinois 2026
⏱ 2 min read Yaroslav Vishnevski, a 33-year-old former Harrisburg, Illinois resident, was convicted of manufacturing and possessing unregistered short-barreled rifles, silencers, and a shotgun with an obliterated serial number. The conviction came after a two-day trial and roughly 30 minutes of jury deliberation on June 9, 2026. Vishnevski’s troubles began in May 2024 when…
Antoine Larry, Conspiracy, Illinois 2020
⏱ 2 min read A former suburban Chicago police officer has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for conspiring to steal cash and drugs from occupants of vehicles during traffic stops. Antoine Larry, 50, of Bolingbrook, Illinois, was serving as a patrol officer for the Phoenix, Ill. Police Department when he…
Juan Pablo Garcia, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Cocaine, Illinois 2026
⏱ 2 min read Two Galesburg, Illinois men, Juan Pablo Garcia and Edgar Calderon, were involved in a large-scale methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking operation that brought kilograms of drugs from Texas to their hometown. Beginning in the spring of 2024, the duo conspired to distribute the drugs, with law enforcement conducting multiple controlled buys from…
Andrew Vesely, Car Theft, Illinois 2022
⏱ 2 min read On January 31, 2022, Andrew Vesely, a suburban Chicago man, attempted to flee from law enforcement in Posen, Illinois, when they tried to arrest him for outstanding felony warrants and suspected car theft. Vesely, who had two outstanding felony arrest warrants, jumped into a stolen Jeep and struggled with a DEA…
