Two Sentenced For Child Pornography Offenses

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Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that, Clarence Walker, 35, of DuQuoin, Illinois, and David E. Neagle II, 21, of Marion, Illinois, were sentenced in federal court in separate cases for child pornography offenses. Walker had earlier pled guilty on August 8, 2013. The Court sentenced Walker to 132 months in prison, a $500 fine, and 10 years of supervised release following discharge from prison. The Court sentenced Neagle to 12 months in prison, a $100 fine, and 5 years of supervised release following discharge from prison.

The evidence at sentencing established that Walker had previously been convicted in Illinois for sex offenses involving children. After his release from prison for that offense, authorities discovered that he had been downloading child pornography from his computer at his DuQuoin, Illinois, residence.

The evidence at sentencing established that Neagle had been downloading child pornography from his computer at his Marion, Illinois, residence.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Secret Service Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas E. Leggans.