FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that James Scherer, a 32-year-old Fairview Heights man, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of dissemination of child sexual abuse material, part of Raoul’s ongoing work with federal and local law enforcement to apprehend offenders who download and trade such material online.
Scherer was sentenced by St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Jeffery Watson. The two convictions are Class X felonies.
“Survivors of child exploitation often face a lifetime of trauma and attempting to recover from their experiences, making it vital we work to hold individuals who trade and download these heinous images and videos accountable,” Raoul said. “My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will continue to collaborate with law enforcement agencies like the Fairview Heights Police Department to find and stop individuals who exploit minors.”
Raoul’s investigators, along with officers from the Fairview Heights Police Department, conducted a search of Scherer’s residence in Fairview Heights in May 2025. He was taken into custody after investigators discovered evidence of child sexual abuse material.
Raoul’s office runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The task force investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies, and it receives CyberTips — 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 2025, reports to the ICAC Task Force increased by 45% over 2024, according to Raoul’s office.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 such task forces nationwide and includes a network of more than 200 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies, Raoul’s office said. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 76,500 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 1,800 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the task force has been involved in more than 2,500 arrests of sexual predators.
In 2025, the task force was involved in rescuing more than 30 child victims from ongoing abuse, Raoul’s office said. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to over 1 million parents, teachers and students, and more than 25,000 law enforcement professionals.
Assistant Attorney General Jenifer Peck prosecuted the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
Raoul reminded the public that child sexual exploitation can be reported online at cybertipline.com and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. Local child advocacy centers can be found at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
