A Pekin man, Joseph D. Perkins, 32, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm in Peoria, Illinois. Following his release from prison, Perkins will be subject to seven years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Evidence presented at trial showed that between January 2023 and March 2024, Perkins communicated with someone he believed to be a fourteen-year-old girl. During this period, he tried several times to obtain nude photos and sought to arrange meetings for sexual activity. He was arrested by federal law enforcement after arriving at a planned meeting in late March 2024.
A federal grand jury indicted Perkins in April 2024. His trial took place in April 2025, resulting in a guilty verdict. Since his arrest on a federal complaint in March 2024, Perkins has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The offense carries statutory penalties that include a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years up to life imprisonment and supervised release ranging from five years to life.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Springfield Field Office led the investigation into the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa P. Ortiz and Douglas F. McMeyer prosecuted the case.
According to officials, "The case against Perkins was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims." More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov
