Crime & Courts

2 Joliet men arrested on child porn charges

Investigation by Illinois State Police, Will County Sheriff’s Office led to arrests

Two men from Joliet have been arrested by separate police agencies on charges of child pornography.

On Thursday, Francisco Lopez-Arau, 53, of the 1800 block of Mills Road and Jason Raman, 37, of the 1200 block of John Street were both taken to the Will County jail and booked on child pornography charges.

Lopez-Arau was investigated by the Illinois State Police while Raman was investigated by the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

On Friday, Lopez-Arau’s bond was set at $100,000 and he is not allowed to have contact with any minor children as a condition of his bond, court records show.

Raman’s bond was set at $350,000.

The investigation of Raman lasted two months and agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security provided assistance, according to a Will County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Sheriff’s detectives executed an arrest warrant at Raman’s residence, where he was interviewed and “made statements implicating himself,” police said.

Raman also faces a charge of violating the Illinois sex offender registry.

In 2010, Raman pleaded guilty to child pornography, according to court records.

Raman was initially sentenced to 30 months’ probation in that case but it was revoked in 2012, court records show. He was then sentenced to two years in prison.

Felix Sarver

Felix Sarver

Felix Sarver covers crime and courts for The Herald-News