On March 1, 2011, Steven D. Ballinger, 30, of Collinsville, Ill.-, pled guilty in Federal District Court in East St. Louis to an Indictment charging him with Production of Child Pornography, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. The violation occurred on July 7, 2006, when Ballinger videotaped himself having sexual intercourse with T.R., who was 13 years old at time. United States Attorney Wigginton noted that he and his office will continue to relentlessly pursue predators taking advantage of children.

The offense carries with it a penalty of a term of imprisonment of not less than fifteen (15) years but not more than thirty (30) years, a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release of five (5) years to life. Sentencing is scheduled for June 10, 2011, in East St. Louis, Illinois.

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 United States 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.

The case was investigated by the Fairview Heights Police Department and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.

 

 

 

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