Michigan man charged with sexually exploiting a minor in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A federal grand jury indicted a Michigan man Wednesday for sexually exploiting and enticing a minor in Illinois, announced Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois.

These charges resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Chatham (Illinois) Police Department.

Damian N. Delacruz, 23, of Cadillac, Michigan, was charged Sept. 7 with three counts of sexually exploiting a minor and one count of enticing a minor.

The indictment alleges that on Feb. 25, Feb. 28, and March 14, Delacruz used and coerced a minor in central Illinois to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual images. The indictment further alleges that from Feb. 19 to Mar. 16, Delacruz used the internet and a cellphone to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity for which a person can be criminally charged under Illinois law.

HSI special agents arrested Delacruz Aug. 23 in Cadillac. Delacruz will appear in federal court in Springfield at a later date.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor Yanz, Central District of Illinois, is prosecuting this case.

If convicted, the statutory penalty for each count of sexually exploiting a minor is a minimum prison sentence of 15 years, and a maximum of 30 years, plus a fine of up to $250,000. The penalty for enticing a minor is a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, plus a fine up to $250,000. Delacruz may also be sentenced to up to a lifetime of supervised release following any prison sentence. 

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

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.