A Rockford resident, Stephen Canfield, 54, has been sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison after being convicted of possessing child pornography. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins following a jury’s decision last year that found Canfield guilty on two counts of possession of child pornography.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that Canfield knowingly stored images of child pornography both on his cell phone and in a Dropbox account. The investigation began when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security received a cyber tip indicating that the Dropbox account contained suspected illegal material.
The announcement regarding the sentence was made by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Ladd and Andrew M. Rosati prosecuted the case.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, while also providing critical services to victims,” according to officials.
Individuals who believe they are victims of sexual exploitation are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children through their website at www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service operates around the clock.
