MENDOTA, IL – Daniel Cooke, 32, of Mendota, Illinois was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon to 240 months (20 years) in prison followed by a 15-year term of supervised release following his guilty plea to charges that he received and distributed child pornography featuring one minor and attempted to entice another minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, announced Acting United States Attorney Gary T. Bell.
From December 2018 to February 2019, Mr. Cooke caused a 16-year-old minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, including sadistic and masochistic conduct, for the purpose of producing and receiving visual depictions of that conduct. Then, from July to October 2019, Mr. Cooke attempted to persuade, induce, entice and coerce a person he believed to be a 14-year-old minor, but who was an undercover law enforcement officer, into likewise sending him sexually explicit depictions. On September 3, 2019, Mr. Cooke sent the undercover officer a sexually explicit video of his 16-year-old victim.
As part of his plea agreement, Mr. Cooke agreed to pay the 16-year-old victim restitution of $10,000 to compensate her for her reasonably projected psychotherapy costs, lost income while attending therapy, and her transportation (mileage) expenses associated therewith.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jill R. Koster and Molly A. Kelley.