Emilio Arredondo

A 19-year-old Lansing man has been charged with child pornography following a Cook County Sheriff’s Police months-long investigation.

Emilio Arredondo of the 17700 block of Burnham Avenue was arrested Thursday, March 7, after the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit determined that he allegedly viewed and downloaded numerous files containing child sex abuse material on his cell phone.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Unit began its investigation following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding videos and images of child pornography saved on a cloud-based storage account and confirmed it belonged to Arredondo.

After being issued his Maranda Warning, Arredondo stated that the account belonged to him and that he viewed and downloaded child pornography on his cellphone on several occasions, according to Sheriff’s Police.

A forensic analysis of his cell phone allegedly revealed hundreds of files containing sexually explicit images and videos of children as young as infants and toddlers.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges of possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony, punishable by three to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

Arredondo appeared Friday, March 8, at the Markham Courthouse, where a judge ordered him held in Cook County Jail until his next court hearing on Wednesday, March 20.

Since 2020, Sheriff’s ICAC investigations have led to charges against 41 individuals for cases allegedly involving the victimization of children and child pornography.