Attorney General Kwame Raoul and DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced on May 20 that a DuPage County corrections corporal has been charged with allegedly disseminating child sexual abuse material. The charges are part of ongoing efforts by Raoul’s office, in collaboration with federal and local law enforcement, to address online child exploitation.
The case highlights the continued work to apprehend individuals who download and share illegal images involving children. Steven M. Simmons, age 32, faces three counts of disseminating child sexual abuse material involving children under the age of 13—each a Class X felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison—and one count of disseminating such material as a Class 1 felony, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. His next court 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, together with officers from Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Lisle Police Department, searched Simmons’ residence on Lakeside Drive in Lisle and took him into custody after discovering evidence related to 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.”
Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg added: “Today’s charges underscore an important reality, no one is above the law, regardless of their profession, position, or title… Our Electronic Detection K9 Team continues to play a critical role in locating digital evidence that helps hold offenders accountable and protect our communities.”
Berlin said: “The allegation that Mr. Simmons was disseminating child sexual abuse material is extremely disturbing… every image of child sexual abuse material represents yet another innocent victim of child abuse… I thank Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and his Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their work on this case.” He also emphasized that these charges do not reflect upon other members of DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.
Raoul’s office operates the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force through funding from the U.S. Department of Justice; it investigates cases like this one using CyberTips received from national organizations. In recent years there has been an increase in such reports: ICAC Task Force reports rose by 45% from 2024 to 2025 alone.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force consists of over 200 agencies statewide; since its inception it has participated in thousands of arrests related to online predation or exploitation cases while providing internet safety training for more than one million parents, teachers, students—and tens of thousands within law enforcement.
Members of the public can report suspected incidents at cybertipline.com or dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov; information about advocacy centers can be found at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
The Illinois Attorney General advocated for vulnerable groups including workers, immigrants and seniors; handled thousands of consumer complaints each year; aimed to protect consumers while promoting safer communities; extended advocacy efforts across Illinois; partnered with law enforcement agencies statewide; offered services such as complaint filing for consumer fraud—all according to the official website.
