Three Rockford-Area Men Charged in Child Pornography Indictments

ROCKFORD — Three Rockford-area men were indicted Tuesday in separate cases by a federal grand jury in Rockford on child pornography charges.

DAVID WITTWER, 48, of South Beloit, was charged with one count of transporting child pornography via the internet in February 2016, and one count of possessing a computer and cell phone in April 2017 containing an image of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.

DONOVAN HEIDENREICH, 23, of Rockford, was charged with two counts of transporting child pornography via the internet in May and September of 2017, and one count of possessing a computer in November 2017 containing an image of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.

OSCAR FLORES-VAZQUEZ, 47, of Byron, was charged with one count of transporting child pornography via the internet in June 2018, and one count of possessing a computer in August 2018 containing an image of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.

John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, announced the Wittwer case with James M. Gibbons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations; and the Heidenreich and Flores-Vazquez cases with Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Love.

The Wittwer investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the South Beloit Police Department and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.  The Heidenreich and Flores-Vazquez cases were investigated by the FBI.

Each count of transporting child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, while possessing child pornography carries a maximum of ten years in prison.  Each count carries a $250,000 maximum fine.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.  

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt.  Each defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.