Macoupin County Man Sentenced to 38 Years for Child Sexual Abuse Material Crimes
Robert L. Jones pleaded guilty to dissemination and possession charges involving victims under 13, and was sentenced in Macoupin County.
MACOUPIN COUNTY – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a Gillespie, Illinois man who possessed and disseminated child sexual abuse material has been sentenced to 38 years in prison. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online.
Robert L. Jones, 48, was sentenced on Monday by Macoupin County Associate Judge Joshua Meyer after pleading guilty in August to one count of dissemination of child sexual abuse material involving a victim under the age of 13, a Class X felony, and two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material involving a victim under the age of 13, both Class 1 felonies.
“This sentence makes it clear that anyone who trades and downloads these heinous images and videos will be held accountable,” Raoul said. “I would like to thank the Gillespie Police Department and the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office, as well as State’s Attorney Garrison, for their assistance in this case. My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will continue to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to find and stop individuals who exploit minors.”
In October 2023, Raoul’s investigators, along with officers from the Gillespie Police Department and the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office, conducted a search of Jones’ residence in Gillespie. Jones was taken into custody when investigators discovered evidence of child sexual abuse material.
Raoul’s office prosecuted this case with Macoupin County State’s Attorney Jordan Garrison’s office.
“Macoupin County’s continued collaboration with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office put Mr. Jones exactly where he needs to be - decades behind bars,” said Garrison. “This is the third successful prosecution for CSAM in Macoupin County this month due to the great work of the Attorney General’s Investigations Division, the Macoupin County Sheriff's Office, and the Gillespie Police Department.”
Raoul’s office, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force that investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. The task force receives CyberTips, or online reports of child sexual abuse material, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2025, reports to the ICAC Task Force increased by 45% over 2024.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 200 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 82,900 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 1,250 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 2,600 arrests of sexual predators. In 2025, the task force was involved in rescuing more than 30 child victims from ongoing abuse. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to more than a million parents, teachers, students and more than 25,000 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.illinois.gov. In addition, local child advocacy centers can be found at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
Deputy Bureau Chief Shantikumar Kulkarni prosecuted the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
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