Christopher R. Buse, 42, of Staunton, Illinois, was indicted on Jan. 17, 2018 on one count of receipt of child pornography, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Donald S. Boyce, announced today. The case is set for trial on March 27, 2018 in East St. Louis, Illinois. Buse was released on bond pending trial with special conditions that include home detention and electronic location monitoring.
The indictment alleges that on July 11, 2016, Buse knowingly received a video file that contained child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2)(B). If convicted, Buse faces a prison sentence of not less than five years and up to 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years supervised release.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit
www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations Violent Crimes against Children Task Force, the United States Secret Services Springfield Electronic Crime Unit-Southern Illinois Cyber Group as well as the OFallon, Illinois Police Department. The United States Attorneys Office for the Central District of Illinois and the Staunton, Illinois Police Department assisted in this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James G. Piper, Jr.
--DOJ Southern District of Illinois
Source: U.S. Secret Service