Peoria, Ill. – The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, Rodger A. Heaton, announced that a federal grand jury today charged Michael J. Roux, of Cuba, Illinois, with sexual exploitation of a child in the production of child pornography. The indictment alleges that from December 2007 through May 16, 2008, Roux coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing images of child pornography. The indictment also seeks criminal forfeiture of Roux’s computer, hard drives and digital camera.

Roux, 46, formerly of Dixon, Illinois, has been detained in law enforcement custody since his arrest in May 2008 on related charges filed in Fulton County by the Fulton County State’s Attorney’s Office. Anyone with relevant information regarding this ongoing investigation is encouraged to contact FBI Special Federal Officer James Feehan at 309-671-7050.

The Cuba Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case with the assistance of the Fulton County Child Advocacy Center and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk D. Schoenbein is prosecuting the case in coordination with the Fulton County State’s Attorney’s Office.

If convicted, the offense carries a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 15 years to 30 years in prison and up to lifetime supervised release following the term of imprisonment.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.