Attorney General Kwame Raoul has filed charges against a Mascoutah man for sexual assault and manufacturing and disseminating child pornography. This case forms part of Raoul's continuous efforts, in partnership with federal and local law enforcement agencies across Illinois, to apprehend individuals who download and distribute child pornography online.
Zachery Ashby, 30, was charged by the Attorney General’s office in St. Clair County Circuit Court with 13 Class X felonies. These charges encompass three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, each carrying a potential sentence of up to 60 years in prison; three counts of manufacturing child pornography, each punishable by up to 30 years in prison; and seven counts of disseminating child pornography, each punishable by up to 30 years in prison. The final sentences will be determined by the court. Currently, Ashby is being held at the St. Clair County Jail.
“I am committed to protecting Illinois families and communities from those who prey on innocent children,” stated Raoul. “These charges underscore the crucial work carried out by my office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which works relentlessly to identify and track down individuals who assault and exploit children.”
On May 10th, investigators from Raoul’s office alongside officers from the Mascoutah Police Department conducted a search at Ashby’s residence on North 2nd Street. Ashby was arrested following the discovery of evidence linked to child pornography.
It is important to remember that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Raoul's office operates the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice. This task force investigates crimes involving child exploitation and provides training for law enforcement agencies. Over recent years, reports made via CyberTipline have seen a steady increase. In fact, reports made to ICAC saw an increase of 46% over 2023.
The Illinois ICAC Task Force is one of 61 such task forces across the country, comprising a network of over 185 local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 40,900 CyberTips and has been involved in over 720 arrests of sexual predators. Furthermore, since 2006, the task force has been involved in more than 2,010 arrests of sexual predators. It has also provided internet safety training and education to tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students, and law enforcement professionals.
Attorney General Raoul also took this opportunity to remind the public that online child sexual exploitation can be reported at www.cybertipline.com and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. Local child advocacy centers can be found at www.childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Peck is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.