A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on June 5, 2008, STEVEN LANE LACEY, age 47, formerly of Casey, Illinois was sentenced in the United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois. LACEY was sentenced to 108 months (9 years) imprisonment, fined $17,500, and placed on lifetime supervised release, as a result of his earlier guilty plea to Possession of Child Pornography.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force, along with assistance from the Carbondale, IL Police Department, Marion, IL Police Department, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, in which the United States Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with federal and state 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation or their local police department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George A. Norwood.