Crime & Safety

Elmhurst, Villa Park Residents Arrested in Child Porn Raids

Attorney General Lisa Madigan says photographs discovered as part of Operation Glass House are "some of the vilest images imaginable."

An Elmhurst man and a Villa Park man have been charged with possession of child pornography following separate raids last week, according to the Illinois Attorney General's office.

Brian Gondek, 54, of Elmhurst, was arrested Thursday, Oct. 10, and charged with one count of possession of child pornography after Elmhurst police and state investigators searched his apartment on Arlington Avenue. He was released on $200,000 bond, according to sheriff's department records. His next court date is Oct. 21.

"Elmhurst police are committed to protecting all our residents, particularly our children, in the community and when they go online," Elmhurst Police Chief Michael Ruth was quoted as saying in Friday's announcement.

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State, DuPage County and Villa Park police searched the Michigan Avenue townhouse of Steven Friesen, 45,  Wednesday, Oct. 9. He is charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, and as of Sunday, he was still being held in DuPage County Jail on $250,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 23.

The arrests bring to 50 the total number of offenders apprehended for child pornography since 2010 in Operation Glass House, according to Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Its mission is to bring down offenders who most actively download and trade child pornography.

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In 2010, the first year of Operation Glass House, Madigan’s investigations revealed a disturbing trend of offenders trading extremely violent videos of young children being raped. As a result, Operation Glass House has focused on apprehending offenders who are seen trading and watching extremely violent videos involving children, including infants and toddlers.

"Online child pornography is a real and significant threat to children who are victimized each time an image is downloaded or traded," Madigan said, referring to what has been confiscated so far as "some of the vilest images imaginable."

Possession of child pornography is a Class 2 felony punishable by three to seven years in prison. DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin's office will prosecute both cases.

"Every year, child pornography claims millions of victims one image at a time," Berlin said. He thanked Madigan's Illinois Crimes Against Children Task Force for "protecting children from those who would do them harm." ICAC has been involved in 622 arrests of sexual predators since 2006.

Patch reports on law enforcement activity using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 


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