JASON WADE BECKHAM ,age 34, of DuQuoin, Illinois, was charged with one count of Receiving Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

JEFFERY L. CLAYTON, age 39, of Carterville, Illinois, was charged with one count of Distribution of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

RYAN ALLAN EDWARDS , age 22, or Effingham, Illinois, was charged with one count of Distribution of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

MICHAEL WAYNE FOSTER, age 37, of Casey, Illinois, was charged with one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

CHAD AARON HASLETT, age 26, of St. Elmo, Illinois, was charged with one count of Distribution of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

CHARLES WAYNE JOHNS, age 37, of West Frankfort, Illinois, was charged with one count of Distribution of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

LEE ROY LANCE, age 68, of Sesser, Illinois, was charged with one count of Distribution of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

GERALD EDWARD WELLS, age 48, of Harrisburg, Illinois, was charged with one count of Distribution of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

Distribution of Child Pornography and Receiving Child Pornography each carries a minimum term of five years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of twenty years imprisonment. Possession of Child Pornography carries a maximum term of ten years imprisonment. Each of the charged counts also carries a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release following incarceration of from five years to life.

The investigation in each of these cases was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Illinois Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. In addition, the Illinois State Police, the Illinois Secretary of State Police, the Carbondale Police Department, the Mt. Vernon Police Department, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department, the Saline County Sheriff’s Department, the Harrisburg Police Department, the Marion Police Department, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, the Southern Illinois University Police Department, the Perry County Sheriff’s Department, the DuQuoin Police Department, the Vienna Police Department, the Robinson Police Department, the Casey Police Department, the Carterville Police Department, and the West Frankfort Police Department participated in one or more of the investigations.

Each of these prosecutions is the result of an investigation conducted as part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and the United States Department of Justice, in which the United States Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, is actively investigating and prosecuting individuals who produce, distribute, or possess child pornography. Anyone with information concerning the use of the internet for the purposes of possessing, producing, or trafficking in child pornography is encouraged to contact the FBI, the Illinois Attorney General’s ICAC, or their local police department.

Massey expressed his appreciation for the hard work of all the investigators and agencies involved in these investigations and stated that the United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working cooperatively with federal, state, and local law enforcement to identify and vigorously prosecute all of those who seek to victimize the children of our communities.

“Today’s arrests are a great example of our collaborative efforts of my Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the FBI’s Cyber Crime Task Force to protect children all over Illinois,” said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. “New techniques to identify computers used in trafficking child porn are beginning to pay off. These investigative efforts can help us track and arrest those who try to exploit our children.”

Karen E. Spangenberg, FBI Special Agent in Charge, Springfield Division, said, “I am proud to be a part of the concerted law enforcement effort aimed at making cyberspace a safer place for our children. The FBI, through our Cyber Crimes Task Forces, will continue to maintain an online presence in an effort to identify and capture predators, who attempt to hide behind anonymity, while using the internet for the sexual exploitation of children.”

These cases are assigned to Assistant United States Attorney George A. Norwood for prosecution.