Home Chicago Press Releases 2010 West Chicago Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
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West Chicago Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney’s Office October 06, 2010
  • Northern District of Illinois (312) 353-5300

CHICAGO—A West Chicago man was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison for possessing child pornography, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. The defendant, Neal Maschke, 40, was immediately taken into federal custody and must serve at least 85 percent of the 108-month sentence before he will be eligible for release, at which time he will remain under court supervision for five additional years. He was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.

The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan in Federal Court in Chicago. Maschke faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines called for a sentencing range between 97 and 120 months in prison.

Maschke was arrested in September 2009, and pleaded guilty in March September to one count of possessing child pornography via computer. According to court documents, his child pornography collection at the time of his arrest consisted of some 1,200 images and 140 videos of child pornography.

Maschke was arrested when he attended a gathering of several men whom he believed shared his interest in viewing child pornography at a north suburban hotel, unaware that he was invited by an individual who was cooperating with the FBI and recorded his conversations. Maschke sought to expand his child pornography collection by attending such gatherings to facilitate the in-person trading of child pornography images and videos and to bring together men who shared sexual interests in children and child pornography, according to court documents. There was no allegation or evidence that Maschke engaged in any illegal sexual conduct with minors.

The case was investigated by the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of investigation and its Innocent Images Task Force. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Tracy and Julie Porter.

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