Two charged with child porn after DuPage County raids
Two men were charged with child pornography offenses this week after separate raids in DuPage County, prosecutors said Friday.
The arrests bring to 50 the number of suspects nabbed in Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s Operation Glass House initiative, according to a news release.
Steven Friesen, 45, of Villa Park was charged with 10 counts of child pornography possession following a search of his Michigan Avenue townhouse Wednesday.
On Thursday, authorities charged 54-year-old Brian Gondek of Elmhurst with one count of child pornography after searching his Arlington Avenue apartment.
Operation Glass House was launched in 2010 as a statewide crackdown targeting the “most active” child pornography offenders, according to the attorney general’s office
In its first three years, the initiative has uncovered “some of the vilest images imaginable,” Madigan said in a statement.
“Online child pornography is a real and significant threat to children who are victimized each time an image is downloaded or traded,” she said.
This week’s arrests were carried out with assistance from Elmhurst police, the DuPage sheriff’s office and the state’s attorney’s office.
Both Friesen and Gondek remained jailed Friday with bail set at $250,000 and $200,000, respectively. The charges they face are punishable by three to seven years in prison.