Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced today that a Christian County man co-prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office pleaded guilty to the possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. 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 pornography online.
Billy J. Hulfachor, 37, of Pana, Illinois, was sentenced today by Christian County Circuit Court Judge Bradley Paisley after he pleaded guilty to five counts of possession of child pornography, Class 1 felonies. Hulfachor was immediately taken into custody to begin serving his 30-year sentence.
“I am pleased my office obtained a guilty plea and that the court held this repeat offender accountable to ensure innocent children are protected from the trauma of exploitation,” Raoul said. “I am incredibly proud of the hard work of our Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and their commitment to protecting Illinois families from those who prey on children.”
Raoul’s investigators, with the assistance of the Pana Police Department and Christian County Sheriff's Office, conducted a Jan. 19 search of Hulfachor’s residence in the 100 block of South Sheridan Street in Pana and arrested him after discovering evidence of child pornography. Hulfachor was also convicted in 2003 in Edgar County for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of an 11-year-old child and in 2013 in Sangamon County for failure to register as a sex offender.
Raoul’s office co-prosecuted this case with Christian County State’s Attorney John McWard.
“This conviction comes from the tireless team effort of multiple law enforcement agencies across the State of Illinois and the effort put forth by the Christian County Sheriff's Department and Chief Bland of the Pana Police Department. It was a rewarding experience as the top law enforcement officer of Christian County to work with the dedicated men and women of the Illinois Attorney General's Office to ensure violent predators in our community are put behind bars,” McWard said. “Strength in numbers truly epitomizes the dedication that Ms. Hagerty and her colleagues provided Christian County with. On behalf of the people in Christian County, I want to thank Attorney General Raoul and his office for assisting in securing a guilty plea against Mr. Hulfachor. This sentence sends a message that possessing child pornography in any capacity in Christian County will be met with stiff penalties as provided for under the law.”
The case is part of Attorney General Raoul’s work to investigate and prosecute child pornographers in Illinois. 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 pornography, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2022, reports to the ICAC increased by 26% over 2021.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC Task Forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 175 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 35,000 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 600 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 1,990 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 also reminded the public that online child sexual exploitation can be reported at www.cybertipline.com, and child abuse can be reported at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. In addition, local child advocacy centers can be found at www.childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
Assistant Attorney General Katherine C. Hegarty handled this case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
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