Harrisburg Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography Offenses
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 19, 2009 |
A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on March 12, 2009, GERALD EDWARD WELLS, age 50, of Harrisburg, Illinois, was sentenced in United States District Court in Benton, Illinois. WELLS was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) imprisonment, was fined $200, and was placed on five years supervised release.
WELLS had previously pleaded guilty to one count of Receipt of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force, which includes representatives of a number of state and local law enforcement agencies, and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Crimes Against Children Task Force. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, in which the United States Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with federal and state law enforcement authorities, is actively investigating and prosecuting individuals who produce, distribute, or possess child pornography. Anyone with information concerning the use of the Internet for the purposes of possessing, producing, or trafficking in child pornography is encouraged to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation or their local police department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys George Norwood and James Cutchin.