Jury Convicts Springfield Sex Offender for Production of Child Pornography

Springfield, Ill. — A jury deliberated for approximately three and one-half hours this afternoon before returning verdicts of guilty against Marcus B. Fifer, 44, for  production of child pornography. Fifer, of Springfield, was convicted on 17 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography and one count of committing a felony offense with a minor while being required to register as a sex offender.  The jury returned not guilty verdicts on six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough presided over the trial which began on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Judge Myerscough scheduled sentencing for Fifer on Feb. 29, 2016.

At sentencing, Fifer faces mandatory life in prison for each count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the production of child pornography. Fifer was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.  Fifer has remained detained in the Marshals’ custody since his arrest in February 2014.

At trial, the government presented evidence that from April 1, 2013 through Nov. 18, 2013, Fifer used a cell phone, tablet and laptop computer to take images of a minor. Further evidence from the government established that Fifer previously pled guilty in 2008, in Champaign County, Ill., to aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and at the time of the offenses for which Fifer was convicted today, he was required to register as a sex offender.

The charges are the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with the Springfield Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys John E. Childress and Matthew Z. Weir are prosecuting the case.

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 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.