Decatur Sex Offender Sentenced to 22 1/2 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Child Pornography Crimes

URBANA, Ill. – A prior sex offender, Emmett J. Rogers, 47, of the 400 block of South 22nd Street, Decatur, Ill, was sentenced today for child sexual exploitation and child pornography. Senior U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm ordered Rogers to serve 270 months (22 years, six months) in prison. Rogers has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest one year ago, on June 11, 2019, and will be transferred to the federal Bureau of Prisons to serve his sentence.

On Dec. 12, 2019, Rogers pleaded guilty to the charges that he exploited a minor in October 2018, to engage in sexually explicit conduct and produce images of the conduct. Rogers also admitted to transportation and possession of child pornography. According to the affidavit in support of Rogers’ arrest, Rogers was identified through cybertips sent by Google to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson represented the government in the case. The Decatur Police Department; the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force; and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.