Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul obtained a guilty plea in a case against a Spring Valley, Illinois man Raoul’s office prosecuted for possessing 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 material online.
The Attorney General’s office prosecuted Brandon Swiskoski, 30, who pleaded guilty to three counts of Class 1 possession of child pornography, enhanced felonies due to a prior child pornography conviction. Bureau County Circuit Court Judge Geno Caffarini sentenced Swiskowski to 35 years in prison.
“Sentences like this help protect other children from the trauma of exploitation,” Raoul said. “My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is committed to continued collaborations with the Bureau County state’s attorney to keep communities safe.”
Raoul’s office prosecuted the case with Bureau County State’s Attorney Tom Briddick.
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 assault materials, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2023, reports to the ICAC increased by 46% over 2022.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 210 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 50,600 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 800 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 2,200 arrests of sexual predators. 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 Katherine Hegarty prosecuted the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
