SWANSEA – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced that a St. Clair County man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to the dissemination of child sexual abuse material. 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 prosecuted Elijah I. Ames, 19, of Swansea, Illinois, who was sentenced on Wednesday by St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Robert Haida after pleading guilty in November 2024 to two Class X felony counts of dissemination of child sexual abuse material.
“This sentence represents justice for minor victims who have been exploited and abused,” Raoul said. “My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force works tirelessly to identify and track down individuals who download or trade these horrific photos and videos, and I will continue to partner with local law enforcement to hold these offenders accountable.”
Ames was arrested in September 2023 after Raoul’s investigators, along with officers from the Swansea Police Department, conducted a search of his residence and found evidence of child sexual abuse material.
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 sexual abuse material, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2024, reports to the ICAC increased by 25% over 2023.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 185 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 50,880 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 915 arrests of sexual predators.
Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 2,300 arrests of sexual predators. In 2024, the task force was involved in rescuing more than 45 child victims from ongoing abuse. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students and law enforcement professionals.
Attorney General Raoul is reminding the public that child sexual exploitation can be reported online at cybertipline.com and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. In addition, local child advocacy centers can be found at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
Assistant Attorney General Jenifer Peck prosecuted the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
