Buffalo Grove man to appear at hearing on porn charges

A Buffalo Grove man will face a detention hearing today in federal court on charges of transporting child pornography in interstate commerce.

Joel C. Siegel, 63, of 780 Weidner Road was arrested June 4 and arraigned last week after a Burlington, Vt., police detective posing as a 13-year-old girl encountered him on the Web, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Using the screen name "Mr. Smiles," Siegel began chatting with the girl in sexually explicit language and also sent her pictures of himself and pictures of child pornography, including images of children being sexually abused by adults, according to the criminal complaint against him.

Siegel, who is in custody, will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier at 10 a.m. today in Chicago, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie B. Ruder.

Siegel's federal defender attorney, Dan McLaughlin, declined to comment.