FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS — Attorney General Kwame Raoul charged a Fairview Heights man with disseminating child sexual abuse material as part of an ongoing effort to combat online exploitation of minors in Illinois.
James P. Scherer, 31, was charged Tuesday in St. Clair County Circuit Court with two Class X felony counts of dissemination of child pornography, offenses punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Scherer is currently held at the St. Clair County Jail, with a detention hearing scheduled for May 27.
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Investigators from Raoul’s office, working alongside the Fairview Heights Police Department, executed a search warrant at Scherer’s residence on the 10th block of Pine Trail in Fairview Heights. Authorities took Scherer into custody after uncovering evidence of child sexual abuse material.
“Survivors of child exploitation and their families can face life-long trauma, and the predators responsible for these heinous crimes being held accountable can help them begin the healing process,” Raoul said. “My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will continue to partner with local law enforcement agencies like the Fairview Heights Police Department to locate and bring to justice individuals who exploit minors.”
Raoul’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, funded by a U.S. Department of Justice grant, collaborates with more than 200 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois. The task force investigates child exploitation crimes, receives online reports known as CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and provides internet safety training to parents, teachers, students and law enforcement professionals.
Since 2019, the ICAC Task Force has received over 60,000 CyberTips and participated in more than 1,000 arrests of sexual predators. The task force has been involved in more than 2,400 arrests since 2006 and rescued more than 45 child victims from ongoing abuse in 2024 alone. Reports to the ICAC increased by 11% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The public is reminded that Scherer is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Attorney General Raoul encourages anyone with information about child sexual exploitation to report it online at cybertipline.com or report child abuse at dcfs.illinois.gov. Local child advocacy centers are available through childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
Assistant Attorney General Jenifer Peck of Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case.
