Rockford man sentenced to 60 years in prison for producing child pornography

ROCKFORD — A Rockford man was sentenced today to 60 years in federal prison for producing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston imposed the sentence on GARY WILSON, 53, and ordered it to be followed by lifelong supervised release.

Wilson admitted in a plea agreement that between 2016 and 2019, he solicited numerous underage boys online via gaming systems such as Xbox and PlayStation, social media applications, and text messages to produce sexually exploitative images and videos for Wilson’s sexual gratification. Wilson, who had previously been convicted of a sex offense, manipulated his victims and gained their trust through conversations over video games. Ultimately, Wilson coerced and enticed the children to send him sexually exploitative images and videos in exchange for game codes and money.

The sentencing was announced by Morris Pasqual, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Lucas Rothaar, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Rockford Police Department assisted in the investigation.

“Few crimes are as serious as exploiting a vulnerable population and memorializing the sexual abuse of minors,” Chief Deputy Criminal Justice Jessica S. Maveus argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Had defendant not been caught by investigators (and the parent of a minor), defendant would have continued his quest to sexually exploit minors for his own sexual gratification.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children online, and to identify and rescue victims. Click here to learn more about Project Safe Childhood.

If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, we encourage you to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. Service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.