PEORIA, Ill. -Alexander B. Smith, 22, of Danvers, Ill., was indicted on Sept. 21, 2021, for allegedly transferring obscene matter to a minor and possessing child pornography in March 2021.
The indictment alleges that Smith used the social media platform Instagram to share pornographic communications with a minor.
Smith is currently in the custody of the United States Marshal Service.
If convicted, the maximum statutory penalties for the alleged crimes charged are 20 years imprisonment.
These charges are a result of an investigation by the Bloomington Police Department and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook is representing the government in the prosecution.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case against Smith was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), to marshal federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
