Chatham, IL Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

A central Illinois man described as "the most prolific trader of child pornography online under investigation by (Attorney General) Madigan’s High Tech Crimes Bureau" has been arrested and charged.According to a release from the Attorney General's office, 26-year-old Jacob R. Stark of Chatham, Illinois was arrested at his place of work in Springfield. An IP address traced to Stark was allegedly seen trading more than 14,000 files of child pornography.

“Viewing and trading child pornography is not an innocent act but a terrible crime that perpetuates the sexual assault of children,” said Attorney General Lisa Madigan. “This crime destroys the lives of these innocent victims and only serves to revictimize them when it spreads online.”

Stark is charged with five counts of distribution of child pornography, a Class X felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison, and five counts of possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony punishable by three to seven years in prison.

“We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners to get these dangerous individuals off the street and protect our most vulnerable population, our children,” said State’s Attorney John Milhiser.

Stark's arrest is the 69th arrest of Operation Glass House, a state-wide initiative to investigate and arrest offenders trading child pornography online.