Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a Mt. Carmel, Illinois man was charged with the alleged dissemination of child pornography. 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 pornography online.
Alexander Knotts, 22, was charged in the Wabash County Circuit Court with five counts of dissemination of child pornography, Class X felonies, each punishable by up to 30 years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines. Knotts’ bond was set at $750,000, and he is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 31.
“I applaud the collaborative work of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Mt. Carmel Police Department in this case. My office is committed to tracking down the individuals responsible for exploiting children, often leaving them with emotional scars,” Raoul said. “This perpetrator can now be held accountable for the horrific crimes he committed against innocent children.”
Raoul’s investigators, with the assistance of the Mt. Carmel Police Department, conducted a search of Knotts’ residence Wednesday, Oct. 26, in the 200 block of East 12th St. in Mt. Carmel and arrested him after discovering evidence of child pornography.
“The Mt. Carmel Police Department will continue to work aggressively towards investigating crimes that exploit children, which includes forming partnerships with agencies such as the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, so all available resources are utilized to protect innocent children,” said Mt. Carmel Police Department Chief of Police Michael McWilliams.
Attorney General Raoul’s office will prosecute the case with assistance from Wabash County State’s Attorney Kelly Storckman’s office.
“I am thankful for the work of the Attorney General's office and their commitment to the safety of our community’s children,” Storckman said. “I look forward to working with them in the prosecution of this case.”
The public is reminded the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The arrest is part of Attorney General Raoul’s work to investigate and prosecute child pornographers in Illinois. 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 pornography, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2021, reports to the ICAC increased by 42% over 2020.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC Task Forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 285 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General's ICAC Task Force has received more than 24,100 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 408 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 1,840 arrests of sexual predators. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to more than 962,779 parents, teachers and students, in addition to more than 23,250 law enforcement professionals.
