Federal and International

McHenry Man Convicted of Child Pornography Charges


Department of Justice
(Source: justice.gov)

Rockford, IL-(ENEWSPF)- The Department of Justice reports that a McHenry man was found guilty of child pornography charges following a four-day jury trial in federal court in Rockford.

MICHAEL L. CHAPARRO, 29, was charged with one count of transporting child pornography via the internet, and two counts of accessing child pornography that had crossed state lines, including an image of a prepubescent minor and a minor under 12 years of age, with intent to view the child pornography.

According to the indictment and the evidence at trial, on Aug. 7, 2014, Chaparro knowingly transported to Pennsylvania and Texas materials depicting one or more actual minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, evidence at trial indicated that Chaparro accessed a smart phone on Nov. 24, 2014, and computer hard drive on July 30, 2013, with intent to view child pornography, knowing that one or more persons depicted in an image involved a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.

Transporting child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, and accessing child pornography carries a maximum of ten years in prison and up to 20 years in prison for an offense involving a minor under 12 years of age. Each count carries a $250,000 maximum fine. The court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines. A sentencing hearing will be set by the Court at a later date.

The conviction was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Bill Prim, McHenry County Sheriff. The Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Love and Margaret J. Schneider.


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