CHICAGO, Illinois.- A Chicago man was sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison for sharing child pornography in an online chat room.
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The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Angie Salazar, special agent in charge of the Chicago Office of Homeland Security Investigations. The US Coast Guard Investigative Service provided valuable assistance.
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Benny l. Butler, 36, possessed more than 2,800 videos and more than 7,600 images of child pornography on multiple electronic devices. Butler in 2017 shared several videos and images with users of Chatstep, an anonymous online chat room service.
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Butler pleaded guilty earlier this year to a child pornography transportation charge. US District Judge Andrea R. Wood sentenced Butler to 15 years and eight months in federal prison Tuesday, followed by 20 years of court-supervised release. Judge Wood also ordered Butler to pay $ 47,000 in restitution to known victims depicted in the child pornography he shared.
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“It is impossible to overstate the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct and the need for just punishment,” argued Assistant US Attorney Ashley A. Chung in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The defendant not only possessed a staggering amount of child pornography, but he also distributed, downloaded and exchanged child pornography with others online.”
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HSI is a directorate of ICE, responsible for investigating crime and transnational threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move.
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HSI’s workforce of more than 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities in the United States and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative police presence abroad and one of the most significant international footprints in US law enforcement.
To report a crime, call 866-347-2423 (TTY for the hearing impaired: 802-872-6196) or visit the ICE information line.
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