Shelby County Man Charged with Producing Child Pornography and Related Crimes

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A federal grand jury indicted a Mode, Illinois, man, Trent Lilly, 43, of the 200 block of 2050 East Road, on December 6, 2022, for allegedly producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.

The indictment alleges that Lilly created a video of child pornography between 2010 and 2019, received child pornography between 2002 and 2022, and possessed child pornography on or before October 2022.

On November 15, 2022, upon his return to the United States from Thailand, Lilly was arrested in Chicago, Illinois. Following a detention hearing, United States Magistrate Judge Karen McNaught ordered that Lilly be detained, and he remains in the custody of the United States Marshal. His trial before United States District Judge Sue Myerscough is currently scheduled for February 7, 2023.  

If convicted, the maximum statutory penalties for the alleged crimes are at least 15 but not more than 30 years’ imprisonment for production of child pornography, at least five years and up to twenty years’ imprisonment for receipt of child pornography, and up to twenty years’ imprisonment for possession of child pornography. The charges also carry the possibility of up to a life term of supervised release, $250,000.00 fine, and restitution to the victims.

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

Agencies participating in the investigation include the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Springfield Field Office, with assistance of Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Illinois Secretary of State, and the Shelby County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs is representing the government in the prosecution.

If you believe you or someone you know is a victim of sexual exploitation by Lilly, you are encouraged to contact the FBI’s Springfield Field Office either by submitting information online at https://www.fbi.gov/trentlilly or by contacting the FBI at 217-522-9675 or 1-800-CALL-FBI.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.