A Peoria man, Michael Dean Dupoy, 53, has been sentenced to a total of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley handed down the sentence on August 20, 2025, which includes 216 months for the new offense and an additional 24 months for violating the terms of supervised release from a previous conviction. The sentences will be served consecutively.
Dupoy was previously convicted in 2008 for receipt of child pornography and received a sentence of over 18 years followed by lifetime supervision. He began his supervised release in October 2024. Later that month, during a home visit, a United States Probation Officer discovered a SanDisk Model 512GB Micro SD card at Dupoy’s residence. Although Dupoy claimed it only contained movies, the officer seized the device for analysis.
While awaiting results from the SD card analysis, another visit in December 2024 revealed that Dupoy possessed an unmonitored cellular phone, which was not allowed under his supervision conditions. Investigators found that both devices contained hundreds of images and dozens of videos depicting child sexual abuse materials. They also found photos of children who had visited the store where Dupoy worked.
Dupoy was arrested in December 2024 due to these violations. In February 2025, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to possession of child pornography and pleaded guilty two months later. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
At sentencing, Judge Hawley stated that incarceration was necessary to protect the public and deter further criminal behavior by Dupoy: “nothing to think [that Dupoy] would not immediately engage in this behavior again” and “the surest way to deter” him was continued custody. The judge concluded that Dupoy needed “to be removed from society to protect the public.”
The investigation involved the United States Probation Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Springfield Field Office. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov
