Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a Germantown, Illinois man prosecuted by his office was sentenced to 32 years in prison for disseminating child sexual abuse material.
Charles Huelsmann, 63, was sentenced Friday by Clinton County Circuit Court Judge Douglas Gruenke after previously pleading guilty to two Class X felony counts of dissemination of child pornography.
“Child predators must be held accountable for their participation in the exploitation of innocent children,” Raoul said. “My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is committed to continued collaborations with local law enforcement agencies and state’s attorneys to keep Illinois’ families and communities safe.”
Huelsmann was prosecuted as part of Attorney General Raoul’s ongoing efforts to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online. Raoul’s investigators, along with officers from the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and Swansea Police Department, conducted a search of Huelsmann’s Germantown residence in May 2024 and arrested him when evidence of child pornography was discovered.
Attorney General Raoul’s office prosecuted the case with Clinton County State’s Attorney J.D. Brandmeyer’s office.
“My office is committed to working alongside the Illinois Attorney General’s office in prosecuting those who exploit children,” Brandmeyer said. “I commend the diligent work of law enforcement in investigating this case, and I hope that this sentence will send a message that the abuse and exploitation of children will not be tolerated in our county.”
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 2024, reports to the ICAC increased by 11% over 2023.
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 54,700 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 900 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 2,300 arrests of sexual predators. In 2024, the task force was involved in rescuing more than 45 child victims from ongoing abuse. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students and 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.
Assistant Attorney General Shantikumar Kulkarni prosecuted the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
