Illinois man charged with possessing child pornography

CHICAGO — A Chicago-area man was charged Thursday with possessing child pornography as part of "Operation Glass House," a statewide initiative to apprehend the most active offenders who download and trade child pornography online.

This charge was announced by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.  This indictment resulted from an investigation conducted by the Illinois Attorney General's Office, with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Will County (Illinois) Sheriff's Department, and Will County State's Attorney's Office.

Anthony Rutten, 26, of Joliet, Illinois, was charged July 14 in Will County Circuit Court with two counts of possessing child pornography, a class 2 felony punishable by up to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Law enforcement officials a search Rutten's residence in Joliet Wednesday and arrested him after evidence of alleged child pornography was discovered.

"Each time these horrific images are viewed, children are re-victimized," Madigan said. "We will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of offenders who commit these appalling crimes."

"We are thankful for our work with the Attorney General's High Tech Crimes Bureau that is helping us remove these offenders from our community," said Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, which is prosecuting this case.

"Our department is committed to safeguarding our residents against these types of predators, and I am very pleased with the arrest of this individual," said Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley.

The public is reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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 14,000 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 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 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.