The US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois calls the defendants self-identified “boy lovers.” On October 15, 2012, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the defendants met in person and online to trade child pornography, but the defendants were arrested in an FBI sting at a hotel party in suburban Skokie.
After the investigation and evidence was presented, six out of eight defendants pleaded guilty. Two of defendants were found guilty in other trials. The undercover sting started in September 2009 by the FBI’s Innocent Images Task Force.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gary S. Shapiro stated, “The sentences in these cases reflect the stark reality that defendants who prey upon children by sexually exploiting or abusing them will be punished severely.” Shapiro and Acting Special Agent in Charge William C. Monroe announced the sentences below.
Mark McGill of Crest Hill received 9 years in prison and 20 years of supervised release after possessing and distributing child pornography. He possessed a thumb drive with about 3,500 images and 60 videos of child pornography.
Jose Garcia of Schererville, Indiana received 33 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. He produced, possessed, and distributed child pornography.
Jacob Elliott of Matteson received 20 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for producing and possessing child pornography.
Corey Stinefast of Kenosha, Wisconsin, received 18 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography. He had huge amount of images—191,000 in total.
Neal Maschke of West Chicago received 9 years in prison and five years of supervised release for possessing child pornography.
Donald Peppers of Hoffman Estates received 27 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. He admitted to producing, transporting, and possessing child pornography, and he even admitted to producing a video of himself touching a 1-year-old child.
The FBI in Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Kansas City helped in the investigation.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
