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KANE COUNTY - A 33-year-old suburban Chicago man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a child pornography charge.
Phillip E. Obenauf, of St. Charles Township, received nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for a guilty plea to the offense of Child Pornography, a Class X felony.
The backstory:
On Aug. 30, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Obenauf's home on Bittersweet Road.
Prosecutors say he was home at the time of the search and investigators with the Kane County Child Exploitation Unit seized several electronic devices belonging to him.
After taking a look at the devices, it was discovered that Obenauf allegedly sent a video containing child sexual abuse material to a person on Instagram.
Phillip E. Obenauf
What they're saying:
"Any time someone views or disseminates child sexual abuse materials, a child is revictimized," Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Matthew Rodgers said in a statement.
"The offenders for these types of crimes are present in every community and often hidden in plain sight. My thanks to the investigators of the Kane County Child Exploitation Unit for their excellent work on this case and their ongoing efforts in locating these offenders and holding them accountable."
What's next:
In addition to prison, Obenauf must register for life as a sexual offender in accordance with state law.
He will receive credit for 773 days spent in the Kane County Jail.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by the Kane County State's Attorney's Office.