Convicted Felon Charged with Dissemination of Child Pornography, Weapons Possession

Mar 15, 2023Press Release

COOK COUNTY, IL – A convicted felon has been charged with dissemination of child pornography after investigators determined he shared sexually explicit images and videos of children as young as infants via a social media app, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.

Sheriff’s Police investigators assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit (ICAC) received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a social media account containing hundreds of pornographic images and videos of underage children.

ICAC investigators determined the account belonged to Jonathan Koziol, 39, of the 800 block of Leahy Circle in Des Plaines and was used to distribute between 15-20 child sexual abuse material to other individuals.

On March 14, investigators executed a search warrant for his residence where they seized his cell phone, additional electronics, and a safe containing a handgun. Koziol was convicted in 2015 of aggravated assault to a police officer while operating a vehicle and did not possess an active Firearms Owners Identification Card or Conceal Carry License.

Koziol was then taken into custody and transported to Sheriff’s Police Headquarters in Maywood. After being issued his Miranda Warning, Koziol told investigators he owned the seized cell phone.

He appeared today at the Skokie Courthouse, where he was issued a $500,000 D Bond on charges of dissemination of child pornography, a Class X felony, and unlawful use and possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 3 felony.

The public is reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the government in a court of law.

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