Illinois Man Gets 60 Years for Horrific Crimes Against Children

An Illinois man will spend 60 years in a federal prison and will be supervised for life for horrific crimes he committed against numerous children.

The United State's Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois says that Adam Power, 32, of the 500 block of South 8^th Street in Petersburg, Illinois was sentenced to 60 years in a federal prison for terrible crimes against multitudes of kids. He pled guilty to 34 counts which included sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

The details of what he did are terrifying. He portrayed himself as a teenage girl and shared pictures of a victim to convince children he contacted online to send him pictures of themselves which he then distributed. The US Attorney's Office describes his intentions as "heinous" as he also contacted children he knew that were not strangers.

“The defendant believed he was untouchable online, and that the mask he wore in public disguised the predator he was underneath. However, with tremendous cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement we were able to put a stop to another internet-based offender.” said Assistant United States Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs.

If Power lives long enough to serve his entire prison sentence, he will have a lifetime of supervision if/when he is released. The US Attorney's Office warned that this case should be a warning to parents to protect their children from unknown online contacts as dangerous people like this seek out victims constantly.