By Eric Stock
PEORIA – A Tazewell County man has pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography after he reportedly text nude images of a young girl from Missouri to about 120 people.
Arthur Wheeler, 30, of South Pekin was arrested in August after an investigation that included the Bloomington Police Department, the Central Illinois Cyber Crime Unit, U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Marshall’s Service. The feds say Wheeler turned over his phone to authorities last year when he appeared in Tazewell County court to seek an order of protection against the girl’s family, claiming the family had threatened him because of his communication with the girl. Wheeler also admitted to impersonating a U.S. Marshall in an effort to get information from someone about the girl’s whereabouts.
Wheeler’s plea agreement submitted to U.S. District Judge James Shadid on Thursday includes a stipulated sentence of 20 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. Sentencing is set for June 23.
