A federal grand jury sitting in East St. Louis has returned a two-count indictment against Steven A. Yon, 27, of East Alton, Illinois, for Production of Child Pornography and Receipt of Child Pornography, James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois announced today. The offenses charged in the indictment allege that on or about Aug. 20, 2014, Yon knowingly induced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purposes of producing a visual depiction of that conduct and that on or about Aug. 24, 2014, Yon knowingly received visual depictions containing child pornography using a facility of interstate commerce.
A trial date has not yet been set. If convicted of Production of Child Pornography, Yon faces a prison term of not less than fifteen (15) years up to life, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of not less than five (5) years up to life. If convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography, Yon faces a term of imprisonment of not less than five (5) years up to twenty (20) years, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of not less than five (5) years up to life.
An Indictment is a formal charge against a defendant that is comprised of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
This investigation was conducted by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Metro East Cyber Crimes and Analysis Task Force. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Ali Summers for prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
