A Moline man was sentenced to prison for child pornography charges.
On April 26, Jacob Petre, 28, was sentenced to 180 months in prison for possession and receipt of child pornography, according to court records. He was also sentenced to a lifetime term of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $59,919.44.
At the sentencing hearing, the government offered evidence that following the execution of a search warrant at Petre’s home, law enforcement located at least 1,432 images and at least 992 videos containing child pornography on Petre’s devices. The government presented additional evidence to show Petre’s communications with individuals who were underage and the sexual nature of their discussions.
Petre pleaded guilty to the charges in November 2022. The statutory penalties for the offenses are as follows:
- Up to 20 years of imprisonment for possession of child pornography
- At least five years to a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment for receipt of child pornography
- The relevant statutes also provide for terms of supervised release ranging from five years to life
The investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service and the Moline Police Department. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, click here.
