Rantoul Man Convicted of Possessing Child Pornography

URBANA, Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict Thursday morning against Edward C. Brown, 45, of 1300 block of Juniper Drive, Rantoul, Illinois, for possession of child pornography. Sentencing for Brown has been scheduled on March 8, 2024, at the U.S. Courthouse in Urbana, Illinois.

Over two days of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that Brown, who was serving a term of supervised release for another child pornography offense, was found in possession of an unauthorized phone that had several child pornography images on it. The evidence showed the minors depicted in the images were under the age of 12 years.

“Possession of child pornography is a crime that perpetually abuses the victim every time that it is possessed and viewed.  We will continue to vigorously prosecute those individuals who victimize our children.” said United States Attorney Gregory Harris. 

“HSI and our law enforcement partners are watching closely for indicators of child exploitation throughout our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald of HSI Chicago. “Today’s guilty verdict is a result of those partnerships and the watchful eyes of all of the dedicated agents and officers involved in not only this but the defendants previous case.”

“The FBI is committed to protecting the innocence of our children,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “Together with our law enforcement partners we work tirelessly to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those intent on harming the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Brown remains in the custody of the United States Marshal Service. At sentencing, Brown faces statutory penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment, a maximum life term of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

The case investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Ritzer and Timothy Sullivan represented the government at trial.

The case against Brown 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. Attorney’s 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.