ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL: MACOUPIN COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO DISSEMINATION, POSSESSION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL: MACOUPIN COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO DISSEMINATION, POSSESSION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL

August 18, 2026

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a Macoupin County man pleaded guilty today to possessing and disseminating child sexual abuse material. The case is part of Raoul's ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online.

Robert L. Jones, 48, of Gillespie, Illinois, pleaded guilty today in Macoupin County Circuit Court to one count of dissemination of child sexual abuse material involving a victim under the age of 13, a Class X felony; and two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material involving a victim under the age of 13, both Class 1 felonies. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct 19.

"Today's guilty plea is an important step toward providing community members with peace of mind in knowing that the defendant can no longer exploit children," Raoul said. "The work done by the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and my office's collaboration with the Macoupin County State's Attorney's office have been critical in this case, and I will continue to partner with federal and local authorities to protect children and families in Central Illinois."

In October 2023, Raoul's investigators, along with officers from the Gillespie Police Department, conducted a search of Jones' residence in Gillespie. Jones was taken into custody when investigators discovered evidence of child sexual abuse material.

Raoul's office is prosecuting this case with Macoupin County State's Attorney Jordan Garrison's office.

"Over the last half decade, the Illinois Attorney General's office, in conjunction with local law enforcement, has aggressively pursued child pornographers in Macoupin County," said Garrison. "Today's results show that their partnership with local law enforcement produces real results in protecting the citizens of Macoupin County. I want to thank AAG Shanti Kulkarni for his extraordinary work on these cases."

Raoul's office, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force that investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. The task force receives CyberTips, or online reports of child sexual abuse material, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2025, reports to the ICAC Task Force increased by 45% over 2024.

Illinois' ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 200 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General's ICAC Task Force has received more than 82,900 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 1,250 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General's ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 2,600 arrests of sexual predators. In 2025, the task force was involved in rescuing more than 30 child victims from ongoing abuse. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to more than a million parents, teachers, students and more than 25,000 law enforcement professionals.

Attorney General Raoul is reminding the public that child sexual exploitation can be reported online at cybertipline.com and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. In addition, local child advocacy centers can be found at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.

Deputy Bureau Chief Shantikumar Kulkarni is prosecuting the case for Raoul's High Tech Crimes Bureau.