Silvis Man Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For Production, Possession Of Child Pornography

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A Silvis, Ill., man, John J. Frazer, 32, was sentenced yesterday to serve a term of 25 years (300 months) in prison for producing and possessing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow further ordered that Frazer serve a life-time term of supervised release following his release from prison. Frazer’s sentence was the result of his indictment on Sept. 19, 2012, and subsequent guilty plea on Feb. 6, 2013.

The investigation into Frazer’s conduct began on Aug. 21, 2012, when the Danish National Police alerted the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cyber Crime Center that an Internet Protocol (IP) address from inside the United States had posted photographs of child pornography onto a Russian website. Authorities thereafter linked the IP address to Frazer’s apartment in Silvis, and executed a search warrant at Frazer’s apartment and arrested Frazer on August 27, 2012.

Subsequent investigation revealed that the photographs of child pornography that had been posted to the Russian website involved photographs that Frazer had taken of a known minor female on or about Aug. 20, 2012. These photographs, and additional photographs and videos of child pornography involving unknown other minors, were also found on Frazer’s cell phone and laptop computer. Notably, the subsequent investigation also revealed that Frazer demonstrated an intent on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, to take a video of the known minor female engaging in sexual acts the next day after school. Because foreign, federal, and local authorities reacted quickly to the posting of the images onto the Russian website, however, authorities were able to arrest Frazer shortly after noon on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; the Moline Police Department; and the Silvis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk W. Schuler prosecuted the case in cooperation with the Rock Island County State’s Attorney’s Office.

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.

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