Tyler S. Seibold, Child Pornography, Illinois 2019

Child Predator Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

A 31-year-old man from Edwardsville, Illinois, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his crimes involving child pornography.

Tyler S. Seibold, production of child pornography, has been the focus of a federal investigation since 2017. On November 2017, an IP address assigned to Seibold downloaded multiple images and videos of child pornography using a peer-to-peer file-sharing program.

In June 2018, agents from the FBI and the Illinois State Police Forensic Computer Crime Unit served a search warrant on Seibold's residence and seized several computers, cell phones, and other data storage devices. A forensic search of those devices revealed what appeared to be self-produced photographs of a nude 3-year-old girl.

Agents soon determined that the girl was related to Seibold and contacted her mother, who confirmed that the dates on the photographs coincided with family events and trips. The child then disclosed to her mother that Seibold had also exposed himself to her.

At sentencing, both of the girl's parents provided statements about the emotional impact Seibold's crimes have had on their daughter, who is now in counseling to deal with the aftermath of the abuse.

Seibold claimed that his punishment should be less severe because he has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but Judge Staci M. Yandle was not persuaded, observing that Seibold had never been diagnosed with ASD before. She also found that Seibold's expert witness did not use the proper testing methods and did not have the necessary qualifications to make an ASD diagnosis.

As part of his sentence, Seibold was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release, during which time he will be required to undergo sex offender treatment, forgo possession of any cameras or visual recording devices, and have no unsupervised contact with minor females.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/edwardsville-man-gets-20-years-nude-photos-toddler