Teutopolis man charged in child pornography crimes

Randy G. Massey, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that on May 25 Darin Thomas Mills, 37, of Teutopolis, was charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court with two counts of possession of child pornography.

Mills was arrested on May 25, and is being held in custody pending his bond hearing in federa court in Benton.

Each count alleged in the criminal complaint carries a potential maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Carbondale Police Department, the Illinois State Police, the Illinois Attorney General's Office Internet Crimes Against Children task force, the Effingham Police Department, and the SIU Police Department.

This case is brought as part of the Attorney General's Project Safe Childhood initiative, in which the U.S. Attorney's Office, in conjunction with federal and state law enforcement authorities, is actively investigating and prosecuting individuals who produce, distribute, or possess child pornography.

Anyone with information concerning the use of the Internet for the purposes of possessing, producing, or trafficking in child pornography is encouraged to contact their local police department or the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney George A. Norwood.