Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that his office has secured a guilty plea from a Stark County man charged with disseminating child sexual abuse material. The case forms part of Raoul's continuous efforts, in partnership with federal and Illinois local law enforcement, to apprehend individuals involved in the online distribution of such materials.
Matthew R. Shipp, 21, of Toulon, Illinois, was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office and pled guilty in Stark County Circuit Court to one count of dissemination of child pornography, a Class X felony. Judge James A. Mack sentenced Shipp to a 12-year prison term, which commenced immediately.
"This guilty plea can help survivors who have been exploited to continue their healing process of the horrific trauma caused by perpetrators who share sexual abuse material online," said Raoul. "I am proud of the commitment and execution of my Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and will continue to partner with local law enforcement agencies to hold these offenders accountable."
Raoul's investigators and the Geneseo Police Department searched Shipp's residence in November 2023, leading to his arrest following the discovery of evidence of child sexual abuse material.
The Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, run by Raoul’s office with a U.S. Department of Justice grant, investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. This task force receives CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In 2024, reports to the ICAC saw an 11% increase over 2023, with steady growth in recent years.
The Illinois’ ICAC Task Force, one of 61 nationwide, includes more than 200 local, county, state, and federal enforcement agencies. Since 2019, it has received over 54,700 CyberTips and participated in over 900 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, it has been involved in more than 2,300 such arrests. In 2024, the task force rescued more than 45 child victims from ongoing abuse and provided extensive internet safety training to the public.
Raoul reminded the public that child sexual exploitation can be reported at cybertipline.com, and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov, with local child advocacy centers available at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Shantikumar Kulkarni prosecuted this case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.