Man gets 14 years for videotaped Geneva sexual assault
A 23-year-old Geneva man was sentenced to 14 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a male minor that he knew and videotaping it during a six-month period in 2012.
Robert R. Schamne, of the 1000 block of Manchester Course, must register for life as a sex offender and faced a top sentence of 45 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to child pornography and criminal sexual assault.
At the request from prosecutors, Kane County Judge John Barsanti watched the 13-minute recording in a closed courtroom before issuing the sentence.
"I feel that video is incredibly sad. I don't know how you get away from that," Barsanti said. "What bothers me is the length of time this occurred. What bothers me is that this was stopped by (the victim). It was not stopped by Mr. Schamne. ... You have to overcome what urges you into this behavior."
Schamne was arrested in spring 2013 and charged with assaulting and abusing the victim, who was 5 years younger than him.
Schamne, who was the victim of sexual abuse when he as around 10, apologized for his actions.
"I know what I did was wrong and inappropriate. There's no excuse for what I did," he said. "The damage has been done, and I must live with my poor choices and decisions."
Assistant State's Attorney Andrew Whitfield argued for a 19-year sentence, calling Schamne's actions "grotesque and vile."
"This defendant was supposed to protect (the victim) and he did the complete opposite," Whitfield said. "Who else is he willing to commit these acts against?"
Schamne could be out of prison in just over seven years.
He must serve 85 percent of a six-year sentence for criminal sexual assault. He can have his eight-year sentence for child pornography halved for good behavior, and he gets credit for about 19 month served at the Kane County jail where he had been held on $300,000 bail.