Urbana Man Charged With Sexual Exploitation Of A Minor

Springfield, Ill. – Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, announced today that a federal grand jury in Springfield has returned an indictment charging Talon G. Wright, 38, of the 900 block of East Harding St, Urbana, Ill., with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography.

The indictment alleges that on or about Dec. 24, 2011 and again on Jan. 15, 2012, Wright used and coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purposes of producing visual images of said conduct. The indictment further alleges that on Aug. 1, 2014, Wright possessed computer devices containing child pornography.

If convicted, the statutory penalty for each count of sexual exploitation of a minor is 15 to 30 years in prison plus a fine of up to $250,000. The penalty for possession of child pornography is up to 10 years in prison plus a fine up to $250,000. Wright may also be sentenced to a term of supervised release up to life following any prison sentence.
 
Wright was arrested on Oct. 27, 2014 and charged in a criminal complaint. Wright appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David G. Bernthal, on Oct. 27, and was ordered to remain detained in U.S. Marshals Service custody.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Urbana Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigation, in cooperation with the office of Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Reitz, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. 

Wright is scheduled to appear for arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernthal on Nov. 12, at 3:00 p.m., in Urbana.  

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The 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 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.

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