Highland man guilty on five child porn charges

A 55-year-old Highland man on Monday pleaded guilty to five child pornography-related charges in federal court.

Richard Hogg was detained by U.S. Marshals immediately following the hearing.

According to a statement from Southern Illinois Acting U.S. Attorney James Porter, an FBI analyst initially noticed evidence indicating Hogg had engaged in a sexually explicit chat with someone he believed to be a minor and had attempted to reach out to other minors to have sex.

On Feb. 3, 2015, that FBI analyst and another FBI agent interviewed Hogg at his home. He admitted in that interview to engaging in the sexually explicit chat with a 16-year-old girl. He also admitted to having images and videos depicting child pornography on his computer. The agents examined Hogg’s computer and found more than 50 video files and more than 1,200 images.

Agents also learned Hogg distributed and received files containing child pornography in the summer and autumn of 2014.

Hogg was charged with one count of distribution of child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography, one count of having access to child pornography with the intent to view it and one count of possession of child pornography. Taken together, the charges could send Hogg to prison for a maximum of 90 years. If he’s released, he faces probation that could last the remainder of his life.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Highland man guilty on five child porn charges."