States Attorney.

Hoffman Estates Teacher’s Aide Faces Felony Charges for Child Pornography

Press Release - Hofman Estate Man Charged In Child Pornography Case

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez announced the child pornography-related felony charges filed against a northwest Chicago suburban man who works as a teacher’s aide in a school for children with special needs, following an investigation led by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office that revealed the man’s several attempts to talk to and meet young girls online.

Randall Scott Gilbert, 34, is a teacher’s aide in a school for children with special needs in the Hoffman Estates. The defendant has been charged with Possession of Child Pornography (Class 2 Felony) for attempting to talk and meet young girls through online platforms and chat rooms. The investigation of the case was led by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, in partnership with the Hoffman Estates Police Department. The defendant was arrested as a result of the thorough investigation made by the department.

Prosecutors reported that a piece of information was developed by the investigators relating to an unknown adult male posing as a 17-year-old guy who had multiple attempts at talking to and meeting with underage girls via online chatrooms in different social media. The defendant was found to be using his unique IP address and chat account to initiate chat room conversations with the young female victims. Furthermore, it was revealed that the defendant, over the course of a few months, had allegedly engaged in sexually explicit ‘chats’ with the underage girls, which entices the young female victims to engage in sexual activity in person, or to request for sexual images of themselves; however, the young girls declined to meet the defendant upon learning his true age.

On March 6, 2014, a search warrant was executed, and the defendant was subsequently arrested by the Hoffman Estates Police. A tablet was recovered from the defendant, wherein a forensic preview of the aforementioned gadget revealed numerous images involving child pornography. Additionally, it was found that the defendant had engaged in the trade and exchange of images and child pornography with other users of the online chatrooms.

Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuits Judge Jill Cerone-Marisie charged Randall Scott Gilbert with child pornography-related felony charges and subsequently set the bond for the defendant at $25,000 during a court hearing on March 7, 2014, at the Cook County Circuit Court-Third Municipal District Rolling Meadows Courthouse. The defendant is set to appear in court, once more, for his next court date on March 28, 2014.

With the provided criminal documents containing allegations that are not evidence of guilt, the public is reminded that the defendant shall be presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the state has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Updated: September 8, 2020

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