James K. Young, 66, of Dupo, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving child
pornography, U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft announced today. Young is also charged with five
counts of distributing child pornography, but the United States has agreed to dismiss those charges
at the sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for May 13, 2020, in East St. Louis, Illinois.
Young was discovered by law enforcement during an online, undercover investigation. On May 3, 2018,
a federal search warrant was executed at Young’s home. His desktop computer was seized and found to
contain 2,441 images of child pornography. As part of his plea, Young admitted that he knowingly
received child pornography on Nov. 7, 2017, and April 29, 2018.
This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela
Scott. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in
May 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."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
