A Harvard man accused of possessing 217 videos depicting children, some toddlers, being sexually abused has pleaded guilty to possessing one image and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Fourteen additional counts of possessing images of child sex abuse, Class X felonies, were dismissed against Jeswin Hiteroza, 20, in exchange for his guilty plea, documents in McHenry County court show.
Sentencing for Class X felonies ranges from six to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors explained that Hiteroza has no prior criminal history and, based on Illinois statute, had he been convicted at trial or pleaded guilty to additional counts, the sentencing range would not have increased.
At his initial court appearance in June, Judge Cynthia Lamb found that Hiteroza was dangerous and ordered that he be detained in the county jail pretrial. Lamb said he possessed or disseminated at least 217 videos of children, some toddlers, “including bondage, groups sexually assaulting minors and using sexual violence against children ranging in age from 1 to 3 to teenagers under 17 years of age.”
Lamb said the “dissemination of such material leads to the risk of future revictimization of children.”
Hiteroza’s arrest was the result of stepped-up efforts in recent years among law enforcement to find perpetrators sharing such images and to stop the victimization of children.
Hiteroza was charged after a social media user reported to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that someone was uploading inappropriate material. The task force then told Harvard police that someone with a local IP address was uploading the images.
A Harvard detective obtained multiple search warrants for the IP address to pin down the person behind the account and what was being distributed. Then, an arrest warrant was issued, and Hiteroza was taken into custody, authorities said.
Hiteroza is required to serve half of the prison time and will receive credit for 218 days in the county jail. When released from prison, he will serve three years of mandatory supervised release, the judgment order signed by Judge Mark Gerhardt shows.
Hiteroza also was ordered to pay more than $4,000 in fines and fees.