A Joliet man has been charged with disseminating videos of child sex abuse materials in 2024, an offense that carries a penalty of six to 30 years in prison.

On Friday, Charles Chaples, 24, was charged with three counts of disseminating child sex abuse materials and four counts of possessing videos of those materials.

The most serious charges against Chaples are class X felonies, which are punishable by six to 30 years in prison. Each of the seven counts against Chaples also carry mandatory fines ranging from $1,000 to $100,000.

A criminal complaint alleged Chaples disseminated digital videos of the unlawful material on May 11, 2024 and he was caught in possession of those materials on Dec. 18, 2025.

The Tomczak Law Group in Joliet is representing Chaples. The law firm has filed a motion for Chaples’ pretrial release under the SAFE-T Act.

Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius will consider the issue of Chaples’ jail release on Feb. 13.

The investigation into Chaples began Jan. 30, 2025, following a tip regarding a Snapchat message from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office.