BELLEVILLE – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced the Attorney General’s office has charged a St. Clair County man with allegedly possessing child pornography and failing to register as a sex offender. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child pornography online.
Raoul’s office charged Charles B. Zamarron II, 43, in St. Clair County Circuit Court with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, each Class 2 felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison, and four counts of failure to register under the Sex Offender Act, Class 2 felonies each punishable by up to seven years in prison. Zamarron’s next court date is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 22 at which time a detention hearing will be held.
“These charges highlight the importance of my office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in holding alleged perpetrators accountable for exploiting children,” Raoul said. “I will continue to partner with law enforcement to investigate these heinous crimes, and I thank the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance with this case.”
Raoul’s investigators, with the assistance of the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, contacted Zamarron on Wednesday, Sept. 20 and arrested him after discovering evidence of child pornography on his electronic device.
The public is reminded the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The case is part of Attorney General Raoul’s work to investigate and prosecute child pornographers in Illinois. Raoul’s office, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force that investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. The task force receives CyberTips, or online reports of child pornography, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2022, reports to the ICAC increased by 26% over 2021.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 175 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 32,500 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 485 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 1,960 arrests of sexual predators. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to more than 1 million parents, teachers and students, in addition to more than 23,850 law enforcement professionals.
Attorney General Raoul also reminded the public that online child sexual exploitation can be reported at www.cybertipline.com, and child abuse can be reported at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. In addition, local child advocacy centers can be found at www.childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
Assistant Attorney General Jenifer Peck is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
