Decatur, Illinois, Man Convicted of Possession of Child Pornography

PEORIA, Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict on October 31, 2023, against Brian R. Lewis, 45, of Decatur, Illinois, for possession of child pornography. Sentencing for Lewis has been scheduled for March 15, 2024, in front of Senior United States District Judge Michael M. Mihm at the U.S. Courthouse in Peoria, Illinois.

In a half day of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that Lewis possessed on his cellular phone nearly one hundred images depicting child pornography. Lewis also emailed himself several child pornography images. The images depicted children as young as four to six years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Lewis was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals Service. At sentencing, Lewis faces up to ten years’ imprisonment; a fine of up to $250,000; and up to a lifetime term of supervised release.

The case investigation was conducted by the Decatur Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shannon O’Brien Ranck and Sierra Senor-Moore represented the government at trial.

The case against Lewis was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. 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.