CHICAGO - A north suburban man who was free on bond while awaiting trial in a federal child pornography case has been arrested for allegedly furnishing sexually explicit images of children to an undercover law enforcement agent.
RONALD FEDER, 30, of Skokie, was arrested Thursday after he handed the undercover agent a thumb drive containing child pornography, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in federal court in Chicago. Feder met with the undercover agent in a coffee shop in Lincolnwood after the pair had communicated online for nearly three weeks, the complaint states. The online communication and subsequent meeting occurred while Feder was free on bond while awaiting trial on a child pornography charge pending in federal court in Chicago.
The complaint charges Feder with two new counts of transporting and distributing child pornography. A detention hearing is set for Dec. 13, 2017, at 9:00 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole in Chicago.
The complaint was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; James M. Gibbons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel. The Skokie Police Department provided valuable assistance.
According to the complaint, Feder used the online aliases “Tom Bradly" and “Jack Wayne" to communicate with the undercover agent, who was posing as an individual interested in “taboo" activities. During online and telephone communications in late November and early December, Feder informed the undercover agent that his actual name was Ron, and he described his interest in child pornography, the complaint states. Feder offered to trade images of child pornography with the undercover agent in exchange for the agent setting up an encounter between Feder and the agent’s minor nephew and niece, during which Feder would molest the children, the complaint states.
In the prior case, Feder was indicted in September 2016 for allegedly possessing a sexually explicit image of a minor under the age of twelve. The conduct allegedly occurred while Feder was working as a civilian employee of the Armed Forces and living overseas. Feder pleaded not guilty to that charge and was ordered released on bond in September 2016, with a condition of the release prohibiting him from accessing the internet.
The public is reminded that neither a complaint nor an indictment is evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The two charges in the complaint each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. The count in the prior indictment is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Dixon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Maguire.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
