Decatur Man Sentenced to 300 Months in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

URBANA, Ill. – A Decatur, Illinois, man, Tevin Ford, 29, was sentenced on March 13, 2024 to 300 months in the Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Ford had sexually assaulted three minors at a hotel room in Decatur in September of 2021. Also at the hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Michael M. Mihm found that Ford’s intent to abuse the minors had been clear from the beginning of the offense.

Ford pleaded guilty to the offense on September 14, 2023.

The statutory penalties for sexual exploitation of a child are 15 to 30 years imprisonment; a fine up to $250,000; and not less than five years of supervised release.

Decatur Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the United States Marshal Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elly Peirson and Rachel Ritzer represented the government in the prosecution.

This case was investigated as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of 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, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.