Belleville Man Charged with Enticement of a Minor, Transfer of Obscene Matter to a Minor, and Transportation of Child Pornography

A Belleville man was arraigned in federal court on July 2, 2012, on a three-count indictment charging him with enticement of a minor, transfer of obscene matter to a minor, and transportation of child pornography, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

If convicted on count one, Jack C. Baldwin, Jr., 46, of Belleville, Illinois, faces a term in prison of not less than 10 years, up to life, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of five years to life. If convicted on count two, Baldwin faces a term in prison of not more than 10 years, a fine up to $250,000, or both, and a term of supervised release of not more than three years. If convicted on count three, Baldwin faces a term in prison of not less than five years but not more than 20 years, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of five  years to life. Baldwin’s trial is scheduled for September 11, 2012, in Federal Court in East St. Louis. Baldwin was ordered detained pending trial.

According to the indictment, the violation charged in count one occurred between December 10 and December 13, 2011, when Baldwin allegedly persuaded an 11-year-old minor to send him pictures of her nude genitalia. The violation charged in count two occurred on December 10, 2011, when Baldwin allegedly sent the 11-year-old a close-up picture of an erect, nude penis. Finally, the violation charged in count three occurred on December 13, 2011, when Baldwin sent the photo of the 11-year-old’s nude genitalia from his cell phone account to an e-mail account via the Internet.

An indictment is merely the method by which federal charges are lodged. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”

The case was investigated by the Royalton Police Department, the Belleville Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Metro East Cyber Crimes and Analysis Task Force. The St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office assisted in helping bring this case for federal prosecution.

The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.