A Rockford resident, Stephen Canfield, 54, has been sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison after being convicted of possessing child pornography. The sentencing took place on Friday by U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins.
Canfield was found guilty last year by a jury on two counts of possession of child pornography. Evidence presented during the trial showed that he knowingly kept images of child pornography both on his cell phone and in a Dropbox account. The investigation began when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security received a cyber tip indicating suspected illegal material in the Dropbox account.
The announcement was made by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Ladd and Andrew M. Rosati represented the government in this case.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, while also providing critical services to victims.”
Individuals who believe they are victims of sexual exploitation are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.missingkids.com or call 1-800-843-5678 for assistance at any time.
