Attorney General Kwame Raoul has announced that a man from Kankakee County has been sentenced to four years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. Wayne R. Hipple, aged 38, residing in Bourbonnais, Illinois, received his sentence on Wednesday after pleading guilty to one Class 2 felony count of possession of child pornography. The sentencing was carried out by Kankakee County Circuit Court Judge Kathy Bradshaw-Elliott.
"Survivors of child abuse and exploitation are revictimized each and every time an individual downloads or trades one of these horrific photos or videos," stated Attorney General Raoul. "My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force works tirelessly to identify and track down individuals who assault and exploit children. I will continue to partner with local law enforcement to locate and hold these offenders accountable."
The prosecution of Hipple is part of the ongoing efforts led by Attorney General Raoul to tackle the issue of individuals downloading and trading child sexual abuse material online. Investigators from Raoul's office, supported by the Bourbonnais Police Department, searched Hipple’s home in September 2024, leading to his arrest upon finding evidence.
The Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is operated by Raoul’s office with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice. This task force investigates crimes related to child exploitation and provides training for law enforcement agencies. It receives CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about online reports concerning child sexual abuse material. Notably, CyberTipline reports increased by 46% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is part of a national network comprising 61 task forces across the country, involving over 185 local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Since its inception in 2019 under Attorney General Raoul's leadership, more than 46,150 CyberTips have been received leading to over 755 arrests related to sexual predation; since 2006 there have been over 2,145 such arrests overall.
Attorney General Raoul also emphasizes that incidents of child sexual exploitation can be reported online at cybertipline.com while cases of child abuse can be reported at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. Additionally, information about local child advocacy centers is available at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
Assistant Attorney General Shantikumar Kulkarni prosecuted this case on behalf of Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.