Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced today his office obtained a guilty plea from a Knox County sex offender for soliciting 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, along with Knox County State’s Attorney Ashley Worby, prosecuted William A. Peck, 36, of Galesburg. Peck pleaded guilty in a Knox County Circuit Court to two counts of solicitation of child pornography, Class X felonies. Peck’s next court date for sentencing is July 9.
“This guilty plea represents justice for the innocent victims who have been exploited and abused,” Raoul said. “I will continue to partner with local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to hold perpetrators accountable so survivors can begin to heal from these horrific crimes.”
In November 2023, Raoul’s investigators, along with officers from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the Galesburg Police Department, searched Peck’s residence and arrested him after discovering evidence of child sexual abuse material. Peck was previously convicted for indecent solicitation of a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material and served six years in prison.
“I am thankful to the members of law enforcement that investigate these complex and emotionally difficult cases. So long as predators continue to victimize innocent children, we will find them, prosecute them, and put them in prison,” Worby said. “I am pleased with the negotiated disposition in this case and hopeful that the 24-year sentence will deter the defendant and others from engaging in this abhorrent behavior.”
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 Katherine C. Hegarty is prosecuting this case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
