Petersburg, Illinois Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Federal Prison and a Lifetime of Supervision for Multiple Crimes Against Children

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Petersburg, Illinois man, Adam Power, 32, of the 500 block of South 8^th Street in Petersburg, Illinois, was sentenced to 60 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release on March 13, 2025, after pleading guilty to a multitude of crimes of against children.  Power pleaded guilty on May 2, 2024, to thirty-four counts which included charges for sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. 

At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Collen R. Lawless, the government established that the defendant, a former substitute teacher, choir director, and theater director in the Central District of Illinois, used at least thirteen online accounts on multiple platforms to portray himself as a teenage girl in order to persuade and entice and attempt to persuade and entice, at least twenty-four boys between the ages of eight and sixteen years of age to produce images of child pornography for him. He also used the images of a female victim in order to engender the trust of his male victims. The government noted that the defendant had targeted not just strangers online but victimized children he knew or had met. Finally, the government commented that the defendant, because he had distributed victim images, had placed the minors in scenarios where their images could now be anywhere in the world.  

In imposing the Court’s sentence, Judge Lawless found that Power’s actions had been heinous. She stated he had been methodical in his approach to obtaining the child pornography from his victims, and that the defendant, who had referred to himself as a perfectionist during the hearing, had used this perfectionism to prey upon the children in his community. Judge Lawless further observed the defendant’s use of his accomplishments and positions ultimately led to the loss of the victims’ security, privacy, and trust.

“The defendant believed he was untouchable online, and that the mask he wore in public disguised the predator he was underneath. However, with tremendous cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement we were able to put a stop to another internet-based offender.” said Assistant United States Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs.

“This case is a stark reminder that predators lurk where we least expect them – hiding behind screens, positions of trust, and false identities to exploit the most vulnerable among us. Power’s calculated and egregious crimes have forever impacted his victims, but today, justice has prevailed,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) ​Chicago Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino. “Through the dedicated commitment of HSI and our law enforcement partners, we have ensured that this offender won’t have the opportunity to victimize another child.”

Power was indicted in July 2023 and pleaded guilty in May 2024. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since his arrest in June of 2023.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the Athens Police Department with assistance from the Menard County Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Petersburg Police Department, and Illinois State Police investigated the case. The Menard County State’s Attorney’s Office provided valuable support. Assistant United States Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. 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.