Springfield Woman Convicted of Cyberstalking

Springfield Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict on July 27, 2023, against Lerin E. Hughes, 25, of the 500 block of N. McClernand Avenue, Springfield, Illinois, for two counts of Cyberstalking. Sentencing for Hughes has been scheduled for November 30, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. at the U.S. Courthouse in Springfield, Illinois before U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless.

At the two-day trial, the government presented evidence to establish Hughes made repeated threatening Facebook posts directed towards an employee of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) who was assigned to investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect. Hughes also sent threatening text messages, e-mail messages, and sought out the personal Facebook page of a caseworker employed by an agency contracted to work with DCFS. The threats occurred over a four-month period during the summer of 2022. The communications, in addition to containing multiple types of threats, included threats to kill the two child protection workers.

Hughes remains in the custody of the United States Marshal Service. At sentencing, Hughes faces statutory penalties of not more than 5 years imprisonment, not more than 3 years supervised release, not more than a $250,000 fine, $100 and restitution.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, with valuable assistance from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah E. Seberger and Sierra Senor Moore represented the government at trial.