ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – An Elgin man was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of disseminating child sexual abuse images of a victim under age 13, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.

Kane County Circuit Judge John Barsanti accepted the plea Oct. 4 from Steven J. Young, 65, of the zero to 99 block of South Aldine Street, Elgin.

Young originally had been charged in January with 10 felony counts each of reproducing child sexual abuse images with a victim under age 13 and possession of child pornography. Young won’t be prosecuted on the other charges in accordance with the plea agreement.

Disseminating child sexual abuse images of a victim under age 13 is a Class X felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison.

Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Rodgers said the following facts in open court that before Jan. 17, Young disseminated and possessed multiple videos and still images of child pornography.

In addition to the prison term, Young must register for life as a sexual offender in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act.

Young was identified and investigated by the Kane County Child Exploitation Unit.

The case was investigated and charged as a result of a collaboration between the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted in the collaboration, along with assistant state’s attorneys with specialized knowledge in the investigation and prosecution of child pornography cases.

Rodgers said in the release that “being in possession of child pornography and disseminating child pornography are serious crimes that our community does not tolerate.”

Rodgers thanked the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office’s Child Exploitation Unit, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, the High-Tech Crimes Bureau and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their efforts to hold offenders accountable.