Chicago Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charge for Allegedly Enticing Underage Girl to Produce Sexually Explicit Videos

CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been arrested on a federal child pornography charge for allegedly enticing an underage girl to produce sexually explicit videos of herself.

HUGH B. FOWLER enticed the 16-year-old girl to produce the videos and send them to him last year, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in federal court in Chicago.  Fowler communicated with the victim via an online messaging application, the complaint states.

The complaint charges Fowler, 62, with one count of production of child pornography.  Fowler was arrested on Wednesday.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes scheduled a detention hearing for Feb. 25, 2020, at 3:00 p.m.

The complaint and arrest were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; and Charlie Beck, interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, specifically members from the Chicago Police Department and Cook County Sheriff’s Office, as well as officers from CPD’s 19th District.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin E. Kelly.

According to the complaint, Fowler sent the victim detailed instructions for how he wanted the sexually explicit videos to look.  Fowler told the victim to display her private parts and to write Fowler’s first name or his initial on her body, the complaint states.  “I would like music if possible,” Fowler wrote to the victim, according to the complaint.  “It’s better if the video is longer than short,” Fowler allegedly told the victim.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Production of child pornography is punishable by a minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.  The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.