Cumberland County Man Charged with Production and Possession of Child Pornography

A Cumberland County man is facing serious charges after Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office charged him with both producing and possessing child abuse material. The suspect, identified as William A. Williams, 49, of Greenup, Illinois, has been charged with five counts of production of child pornography and five counts of possession, with the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence. Additional charges of methamphetamine delivery and possession of meth-making materials add to the seriousness of his legal situation. Williams is currently being held in the Cumberland County Jail, with a detention hearing scheduled for Sept. 3, according to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

The arrest is the result of a joint effort by state and local law enforcement agencies and has shone a spotlight on the dark underbelly of online child exploitation. According to Attorney General Raoul, survivors and their families suffer lasting trauma, compounded by a lifetime of healing from both physical and emotional scars. In a statement from the Illinois Attorney General’s office, Williams was arrested after a search of his home on County Road 1050N in the 1600 block on Aug. 28 turned up thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse on multiple devices. Raoul’s office is working with Cumberland County District Attorney Bryan Robbins in prosecuting the case.

Illinois’ plight against cybercrimes targeting children is gaining structure and momentum through the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, led by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. This specialized Task Force focuses on tracking such crimes and providing law enforcement with training on how to deal with these increasingly digital threats. CyberTips, or online child pornography reports, to ICAC have seen a significant increase, with a 46% increase in 2023 over the previous year.