Chicago-area man arrested on child pornography charges while on bond for pending child pornography trial

CHICAGO — A north Chicago suburban man, who was free on bond while awaiting trial in another federal child pornography case, was arrested again Thursday for allegedly furnishing sexually explicit images of children to an undercover law enforcement agent.

This complaint was announced by U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr., Northern District of Illinois; Special Agent in Charge James M. Gibbons, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Chicago; and Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel.  The Skokie (Illinois) Police Department also provided valuable investigative assistance.

Ronald Feder, 30, of Skokie, Illinois, was arrested Dec. 7 after he handed an undercover agent a thumb drive containing child pornography, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in federal court in Chicago.

Feder met with an undercover agent in a coffee shop in nearby Lincolnwood, Illinois, after the pair had communicated online for nearly three weeks, the complaint states.

The online communication and subsequent meeting occurred while Feder was free on bond while awaiting trial on a child pornography charge pending in federal court in Chicago.  The complaint charges Feder with two new counts of transporting and distributing child pornography.

A detention hearing is set for Dec. 13 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole in Chicago.

According to the complaint, Feder used the online aliases “Tom Bradly” and “Jack Wayne” to communicate with the undercover agent, who was posing as an individual interested in “taboo” activities.

During online and telephone communications in late November and early December, Feder informed the undercover agent that his actual name was Ron, and he described his interest in child pornography, the complaint states.

Feder offered to trade images of child pornography with the undercover agent in exchange for the agent setting up an encounter between Feder and the agent’s minor nephew and niece, during which Feder would molest the children, the complaint states.

In the prior case, Feder was indicted in September 2016 for allegedly possessing a sexually explicit image of a minor under 12 years old.  The conduct allegedly occurred while Feder was working as a civilian employee of the Armed Forces and living overseas.  Feder pleaded not guilty to that charge and was ordered released on bond in September 2016, with a condition of the release prohibiting him from accessing the internet.

The public is reminded that neither a complaint nor an indictment is 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.

The two charges in the complaint each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and up to 20 years’ imprisonment.  The count in the prior indictment is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Dixon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Maguire, Northern District of Illinois.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 16,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page  HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.