A significant legal victory was achieved by Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office when Brandon Swiskoski, 30, of Spring Valley, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing child pornography (Class 1 Felony). Swiskoski, who had a previous conviction for similar charges, received a 35-year prison sentence from Bureau County Circuit Court Judge Geno Caffarini. This case, prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Katherine Hegarty and carried out in collaboration with the Bureau County State’s Attorney Tom Briddick, highlights the efforts of Raoul’s office in combating online child exploitation through the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. This task force, supported by a U.S. Department of Justice grant, has been instrumental in addressing the surge in child exploitation cases, with a notable 46% increase in reports this year compared to 2022.
“Sentences like this help protect other children from the trauma of exploitation,” Raoul said. “My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is committed to continued collaborations with the Bureau County state’s attorney to keep communities safe.”
The Illinois ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and comprises a network of more than 210 local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 50,600 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 800 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 2,200 arrests of sexual predators. The task force has also provided internet safety training and education to tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students, and law enforcement professionals.
Attorney General Raoul is reminding the public that child sexual exploitation can be reported online at cybertipline.com and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.