Decatur Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

URBANA, Ill. – A Decatur, Illinois, man, Brian R. Lewis, 46, was sentenced on March 4, 2025, to 63 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by six years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography.

Lewis was found guilty following a jury trial in Peoria, Illinois, in fall 2023.

At the sentencing hearing in front of Senior U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the government presented evidence that in July 2020 investigators found Lewis with a cellular phone containing images of child pornography. The investigation was initiated with a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the images found in Lewis’s possession included six known victims from previous cases. 

Judge Mihm also ordered Lewis to pay restitution totaling $7,000 to two victims and to register as a sex offender.

The statutory penalties for possession of child pornography are not more than 10 years’ imprisonment, five years to a life term of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine. 

The Decatur Police Department investigated the case as a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Special Assistant United States Attorney Shannon O’Brien and Assistant United States Attorney Sierra Senor-Moore represented the government in the prosecution.