BENTON, Ill. -- A Marion man was sentenced to more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges in Franklin County.
The United States Attorney's Office ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý District of Illinois, stated Michael D. Mitchell, 36 of Marion, was recently sentenced to 97 months in prison.
Mitchell pleaded guilty earlier in May to two counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prosecute individuals who view and upload child sexual abuse material, and a federal prison sentence is warranted for those who contribute to the online sexual exploitation of children,� said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “I commend our FBI partners for their efforts to identify and investigate child predators.�
Court documents state federal law enforcement personnel received a tip about a user uploading child pornography. These documents also stated the IP address was tracked to Mitchell's Marion home. A search of Mitchell's phone resulted in eight items of child sexual abuse material, the Attorney's Office statement mentioned.
“This case demonstrates the effectiveness of the FBI’s partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,� said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “FBI Springfield opened this investigation based on a tip from NCMEC’s Cyber Tipline which allows parents and children to report child sexual abuse material and other incidents of sexual exploitation of children. Thanks to that tip, another offender is behind bars, no longer able to contribute to the spread of child sexual abuse material.�
The judge in the case ordered Mitchell to serve five years of supervised release after released from prison.
