A 29-year-old St. Charles man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 16 years in prison for dissemination of child sexual abuse images, according to a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Kane County Judge John Barsanti accepted the plea Friday, Dec. 5 from Corey J. McDonald.

McDonald was charged in July with eight counts each of dissemination of images depicting child sexual abuse and possession of the images, and two counts of failing to file as a sex offender.

Assistant State’s Attorney Amanda Busljeta stated in court that on June 23, 2025, investigators with the Kane County Child Exploitation Unit received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that McDonald was using his Kik account to upload and disseminate child sexual abuse material, the release stated.

Kik is a free software instant messaging mobile app from the Canadian company Kik Interactive.

Authorities discovered that McDonald had disseminated multiple videos depicting children under the age of 13.

In addition to the prison term, McDonald must register for life as a sexual offender in accordance.

McDonald will receive credit for 143 days served in the Kane County jail, where he has been held since his arrest. He is eligible for day-for-day sentencing, the release stated, so his sentence could be reduced to just under eight years.

The charge McDonald pleaded guilty to is a Class X felony, punishable by six to 30 years in prison.

“Offenders like McDonald, who share child sexual abuse material online, perpetuate the victimization of the children who are sexually assaulted to produce these vile materials, and they further motivate those who commit these horrific assaults,” Busljeta said in the release.

“Today’s sentence sends a strong message to anyone who may try to prey upon our most vulnerable: You will be found and you will be brought to justice,” Busljeta said in the release. “My thanks to the investigators of the Kane County Child Exploitation Unit who work tirelessly to ensure these offenders are held accountable.”

Court records show that McDonald was charged earlier, on Sept. 20, 2019, with 17 felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse images of a victim under age 13.

McDonald pleaded guilty to one count on Aug. 6, 2021, and the rest of the charges were not prosecuted. McDonald was released on specialized probation for sex offenders, records show.