In a disquieting turn of events, a Petersburg, Illinois man has admitted to a series of heinous offenses against children. Adam L. Power, age 30, from the quiet town located just outside Springfield, entered a guilty plea to a staggering thirty-four felony counts, including the production, distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of Illinois.
On May 3, Power came clean about his crimes which spanned from July 2022 until February 2023. Through devious means, he posed as a young girl on popular online chat apps, such as Snapchat and Kik, only to manipulate minor boys to foolishly create and send him explicit material. In a detailed statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Power also engaged in broadly distributing, as well as receiving, visual depictions of minors in sexually explicit conduct.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of Illinois, Power was initially nabbed by local authorities in Petersburg, Illinois on March 21, 2023. Multiple agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Illinois State Police, played a vital role in the investigation leading to his arrest and subsequent guilty plea.
Power's confession brings a close to a distressing chapter, and yet, his actions bear irrevocable consequences. Each production count he's admitted to carries a potential sentence ranging from fifteen to thirty years in prison. Meanwhile, other charges related to the distribution and receipt of child pornography can lead to an additional five to twenty years of imprisonment per count. Furthermore, for the single count of possession, the justice system may see fit to pronounce up to twenty years' incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs is representing the government in what appears to be a cut-and-dry prosecution, aided by Power's admission of guilt. The court has scheduled a sentencing hearing on September 5, at the U.S. Courthouse in Springfield, Illinois. Until then, the ramifications of Power's admitted actions and the wounds inflicted on the community at large remain as austere reminders of the damage such crimes impart.
