A 26-year-old Chicago man was sentenced to 18 years in prison on two counts of Child Pornography related arising from his sexual encounters with a 15-year-old Algonquin victim.
On Tuesday, Rafael Brill pleaded guilty to the charges, as well as an addition charge of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, in exchange for the dropping of additional charges related to the improper relationship.
As a condition of Brill’s plea, he must register as a sex offender upon release for the rest of his natural life and may also be subject to a lifetime period of mandatory supervised release (i.e. parole).
“Sexual abuse related cases, especially those involving minors, are a priority for our office,” said Patrick Kenneally, the McHenry County State’s Attorney. “We charge more cases and take on more difficult cases than any other office in Illinois because we know the lacerating and life-long trauma sexual abuse can have on a child.
“These are very difficult cases. Mostly there is a delay in reporting leading to lost forensic evidence. Usually there are no eyewitnesses. Very often our case is based on the account of a child victim who sometimes due to terror of having to face their abusers or age may not be ready to testify in court in front of 12 strangers or endure cross-examination.
“In view of these difficulties, often we have the agonizing decision to accept negotiated pleas to ensure that a defendant receives some accountability as opposed to none. I am glad we were able to succeed in securing such a strong verdict in this case.”
