Grand Jury Indicts Georgetown Man, Urbana Woman on Child Sex Crimes Charges

URBANA, Ill. –  A federal grand jury has indicted Ian J. Dukes, 37, of Georgetown, Ill., and Julie P. Snyder, 43, of the 400 block of W. University Ave., Urbana, Ill., on charges of child sexual exploitation. Specifically, the indictment charges Dukes and Snyder with attempted enticement of a minor, under age 18, to engage in sexual activity in July 2019. The indictment charges Dukes with additional counts of attempted sexual exploitation of the same minor, enticement of a second minor, sex trafficking of children, and receiving child pornography of a second minor.

Dukes was arrested on Feb. 11, 2020, and charged by criminal complaint. He appeared in federal court in Urbana and was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Snyder was arrested on March 6, following the grand jury’s indictment, on March 4. Snyder appeared in federal court on March 9, and the indictment was unsealed. Snyder waived a detention hearing and was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S Marshals Service. An initial trial date of April 27, 2020, was scheduled.

If convicted, for enticement of a minor, the penalty is 10 years to life in prison; for attempted sexual exploitation of a child, the penalty is 15 to 30 years in prison; for sex trafficking of children, the penalty is 15 years to life in prison; and, for receiving child pornography, the penalty is five to 20 years in prison.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson in the prosecution. The charges are the result of investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Illinois State Police, and the Urbana Police Department, in coordination with the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.