Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul and DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin charged a DuPage County corrections corporal with allegedly 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 images online.

Steven M. Simmons, 32, was charged in DuPage County Circuit Court today with three counts of disseminating child sexual abuse material involving children under the age of 13, Class X felonies each punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and one count of disseminating child sexual abuse material, a Class 1 felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Sentences are ultimately determined by the court. Simmons’ next hearing is scheduled for June 15.

“Child exploitation is a horrific crime that is made even more reprehensible when the alleged offender is entrusted by the public to serve as a county correctional officer,” Raoul said. “I want to thank the local law enforcement partners who assisted with this case. I remain committed to ensuring victims and their families receive the justice they deserve by holding the offenders who commit these crimes accountable – no matter who they are. ”

Raoul’s investigators, along with officers from the Lake County Sheriff’s office and the Lisle Police Department, conducted a search on Tuesday of Simmons’ residence in the 5500 block of Lakeside Drive in Lisle, Illinois. He was taken into custody after investigators discovered evidence of child sexual abuse material.

“The exploitation of children is one of the most disturbing crimes we encounter in law enforcement,” said Lisle Police Chief Michael Rodriguez. “The Lisle Police Department remains committed to protecting children and supporting investigations that hold offenders accountable. We are proud to work alongside the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and our regional law enforcement partners on these critical cases.”

“Today’s charges underscore an important reality, no one is above the law, regardless of their profession, position, or title,” said Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg. “The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is proud to assist the Illinois Attorney General’s office and our law enforcement partners in investigations involving the exploitation of children. Our Electronic Detection K9 Team continues to play a critical role in locating digital evidence that helps hold offenders accountable and protect our communities. We remain committed to pursuing justice wherever the facts lead.”

Raoul’s office is prosecuting the case with State’s Attorney Berlin’s office.

“The allegation that Mr. Simmons was disseminating child sexual abuse material is extremely disturbing,” Berlin said. “As I have said many times in the past, every image of child sexual abuse material represents yet another innocent victim of child abuse, and my office will not hesitate to bring charges against anyone suspected of being involved in this behavior. I want to stress that the charges against Mr. Simmons are in no way indicative of the outstanding men and women of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office who work tirelessly day in and day out to protect all DuPage County residents. I thank Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and his Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their work on this case, as well as for their ongoing efforts to protect our children from those who would possess and disseminate this type of material.”

The public is reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to more than 1,075,000 parents, teachers and students, in addition to 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.